‘Students missing MBBS by a whisker are picking Ayurveda as next choice’
Times Special Hemali.Chhapia@timesofindia.com 06.10.2024
Mumbai : In Maharashtra, private Ayurveda colleges closed their recent first-round admissions with a NEET score cut-off of 387, while private dental colleges settled at 396. Dental still holds a slight edge, but the competition is uneven as there are 95 private Ayurveda colleges compared to 25 private dental institutions.
A similar trend is seen in govt institutions: admissions to the four dental colleges ended at a NEET score of 606, while the cut-off at the 22 govt and aided Ayurveda colleges was 436 at the end of the first round. “This year, top Ayurveda colleges have recorded high cut-offs. Students who missed an MBBS seat by a whisker, have put down their next option as Ayurveda instead of dentistry. Hence, admission in several colleges, including mine, has crossed a score of 450,” said Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS) standing committee chairman Balasaheb Pawar.
There is another indicator of the growing interest in Ayurveda, which has the highest number of colleges and seats after nursing: There is a beeline to start more Ayurveda colleges, said sources from the CET cell. Pawar added that after the pandemic, the dental market collapsed and there have been vacant seats in certain govt. dental colleges in the past three years. “Before the pandemic, Ayurveda was languishing and, though there were fewer colleges than now, seats were going vacant,” he said. Pawar pegs Ayurveda’s rising popularity to several factors: opening up of govt jobs for Ayurveda graduates, the expansion of their scope of work that allows them to practise as general physicians and the increase in the number of patients turning to “various Indian-pathy” post-Covid. Ayurveda’s rise has been so swift that there are whispers that some colleges now charge capitation fees—though illegal, it’s a sign of the field’s growing clout.
In this backdrop, Ayurveda colleges have a new demand: parity with MBBS institutions. College owners want the same tuition norms granted to MBBS under the institutional quota. “Ayurveda colleges previously charged 3X the regular fee for institutional quota seats, while MBBS colleges were allowed to charge 5X. This year, Ayurveda colleges demanded the 5X rule be extended to them too. Their demand made to the medical education ministry, has been forwarded to the Fee Regulatory Committee. But colleges are already charging 5X fee,” said parent representative Sachin Bangad. MUHS vice-chancellor Lt Gen (Retd) Dr Madhuri Kanitkar said she is steering Ayurveda into uncharted territory. “With a sharp focus on rigorous research, enhanced standards in Ayurvedic education, and a commitment to a truly holistic view of health, we are redefining the field. Several Indians practise pluralism—someone at home follows Ayurveda, someone swears by homeopathy, sciences that are wholesome and stress on health being not just curative, but also preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative,” she said.
The creation of a dedicated AYUSH department and the appointment of an Ayurvedic doctor as pro-vice chancellor for the first time are strong signals that the university is focused on Ayurveda. Senior Ayurvedic pediatrician Dr Hetal Nagda has observed a notable shift: Ayurveda has gained momentum post-Covid, with support from multiple fronts. “The Indian govt has championed it, digitising records and promoting its benefits, but what's striking is people from all walks of life are now embracing it.” Even allopathic doctors, she said, refer children to Ayurvedic practitioners for “certain conditions”. She said an “Ayurvedic renaissance” is underway. "Students from around the world are flocking to institutes in Jamnagar, parts of Kerala and Jaipur. Belgium and Germany, where Ayurveda was once synonymous with massage, now have clinics run by Ayurvedic physicians. Dubai has seen an uptick in clinics catering to the Keralite diaspora, and it’s flourishing across the United States," Dr Nagda said.
