Bill passed to set up Ayush University in Karnataka

Belagavi: The Karnataka government is planning to establish the Karnataka State Ayush University at Sogane village near Shivamogga. On Wednesday, a bill was passed in connection with this in the legislative council at the Suvarna Soudha.

The Health and Medical Education Minister Dr. K. Sudhakar stated that the university would throw light on Ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, homoeopathy and Sowa rigpa (Tibetan medicine).

It would be the first Ayush university in south India, as per a media report in the New Indian Express.

He added that an area of over 100 acres had been earmarked by the state government for the university. According to a media report in the Hindu, the university would help in Ayush research and provide platforms for alternative forms of medicine, said the minister.

However, some Legislative Council members questioned the necessity of establishing the university which would cover the institutes that are currently functioning under the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS).

In a debate held during the passage of the bill, JD(S) member Marithibbe Gowda stated that there is no requirement of another Ayush university when already all the Ayush institutes are being managed by RGUHS. He said, "If you separate Ayush institutes and set up one more university, a day would come when you face demands for setting up separate university for pharmacy, dental sciences, homeopathy and other similar institutions. This is not a good trend. You have already spent a huge amount of money for Folklore University, Music University and Sanskrit University, where only a few students have enrolled."

K. Sudhakar responded that in addition to 105 Ayush colleges, there are 953 colleges under the RGUHS due to which the workload has increased. Because of this, he said, they are unable to pay attention to Ayush medicine practitioners and its research and development.

The World Health Organisation Congress passed the Beijing declaration on traditional medicine to preserve, protest and practise traditional medicines and to perform research on them. He said that because of this, many states in North India have established many Ayush universities, and now Karnataka would also get a similar varsity.

The minister added that they would make recruitments of a total of three doctors in all PHCs including two allopathy and one Ayush doctor.

Questioning the government's reason for setting up the university when the Aysuh medicine practice is not accepted by the insurance companies, the Congress member C.M. Ibrahim said, "I have been following ayurveda since my childhood. But, I cannot take reimbursement for my treatment at Ayush institutes. First, give directions to insurance companies to recognise the Ayush form of medicine."

Acccording to a media report in the Deccan Herald, the Congress MLA Dr HD Ranganath said that he is concerned about the new varsity since the Karnataka government already took 20 years to approve cadre and recruitment rules for the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences (RGUHS). Stating that the government should invest in RGUHS before setting up a new university, he said, "The RGUHS does not have a separate campus till now."

The Congress MLA Dr Yathindra similarly opined that the state government should provide more funds for RGUHS rather than investing in a new university.

Meanwhile the bill was welcomed by the leader of Opposition S.R. Patil, BJP members Mahantesh Kavatagimath, N. Ravi Kumar and others, reports the Hindu. The bill was subsequently passed by the council.

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