“The union health ministry is pushing the move for such an integrated medical course. But RTIs have shown that there has been no joint meeting or joint approval for such a course,” he told this paper.“The government has to explain under which law, the Union Health Ministry is planning to start an integrated course? Why has the NMC, which regulates education in modern medicine, been kept in the dark for more than one and a half years? What is the role of NMC if the government is implementing/enforcing such decisions without any discussions with various stakeholders? Mixing science with non-science seems to be taken at the political level in our country,” he said.The proposal for such an integrated medical course was proposed by Auroville Foundation with the aim of having a holistic approach to healthcare in January 2024.Auroville foundation proposed the draft curriculum in collaboration with some Ayurvedic Universities and JIPMER for integrated medical education, leading to the grant of dual degrees of MBBS and BAMS.The proposal also included setting up a satellite centre at the Institute of Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar, and a satellite centre at JIPMER.After receiving the proposal, the health ministry in its February 13, 2024, letter to JIPMER said, “It has been requested that the matter may kindly be considered in an expeditious manner with a view to starting the course on integral medical education from the forthcoming academic year.”However, there was no response from JIPMER. The ministry continued to send reminders – December 31, 2024, March 10, 2025 and finally on July 11, 2025 – about their comments with regard to their proposal.In its July 11 reminder letter to JIPMER, the ministry said, “However, no response has been received yet. We may, therefore, if approved, again issue a reminder to the institute to expedite and furnish the requisite comments to the Ministry,” the file noting said.“It seems the ministry this time is keen to introduce a new course without involving the regulators. The repeated reminders to JIPMER clearly shows the government’s intention to start an integrated medical course, without taking the key statutory bodies on board,” Dr Babu added.
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