
New Delhi: Strongly condemning the move to integrate MBBS and BAMS courses, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded the immediate withdrawal of the integrated course plan proposed at JIPMER, Puducherry.
In a press release, IMA urged the National Medical Commission (NMC) and the Union Health Ministry to intervene urgently and stop the establishment of an institute for “Integral Medical Education” at the Auroville Foundation. The association warned that such a move would compromise public health and endanger future generations.
“Mixopathy takes away the patients’ right to choose their preferred system of medicine. We strongly urge the concerned authorities to refrain from producing hybrid doctors who will only be qualified quacks,” IMA stated.
The backlash follows reports that JIPMER, in collaboration with Ayurvedic universities, has drafted a curriculum for the dual MBBS-BAMS degree after a proposal from the Auroville Foundation in January 2024. Under the plan, the course would combine modern medicine and Ayurveda, granting graduates both MBBS and BAMS degrees.
While the NMC Act, 2019 requires statutory bodies like NMC, CCIM, and NCH to design integrated modules across different systems of medicine, RTI responses revealed that the mandated joint sittings of these bodies had not been conducted, raising concerns over procedural lapses.
IMA criticised the lack of proper consultation, saying, “JIPMER would no longer remain an institute of national importance if such an unscientific step is taken. We have witnessed how modern medicine has eradicated and controlled life-threatening diseases, and more recently, how it saved millions during the COVID-19 pandemic.”
The association demanded that the government withdraw the “regressive proposal” immediately, asserting that while all systems of medicine should be respected, their purity must be preserved.
IMA concluded its statement with a call to the medical community and the nation: “We appeal to resist this indiscretion for the health of future generations. It is the patient’s right to choose the system of medicine, and that right must not be taken away.”