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AMMOI opposes IMA's call to stop govt initiative to start integrated medical course at JIPMER in Pondicherry
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
June 11 , 2025
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The Ayurveda Medicine Manufacturers’ Organisation of India (AMMOI) has countered the Indian Medical Association's (IMA) request to the Union health ministry that the government should withdraw from its decision to start an integrated medical course at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) in Pondicherry, blending traditional medicine with mainstream healthcare.
AMMOI, in a recently issued communique, signed by its president Dr. P Ramkumar and general secretary Dr. D Ramanathan, pointed out that the World Health Organization (WHO) and several nations are undertaking significant initiatives to integrate traditional medicines into their respective healthcare systems. The organization further noted that a broad global trend towards the acceptance of traditional medicines is currently emerging, a development that the IMA seems to be disregarding.
It said, the Amrutha Viswa Vidya Peetam in India and Maharishi International University in the US are already conducting integrated medical courses. This unified advancement through the integration of different treatment methods will open up excellent possibilities.
Responding to the statement of the IMA president that the union government is trying to create ‘mixopathy’ which will promote quackery, Dr Ramanathan said the aim of the integrative medical course is to combine the strength of modern medicine with the holistic approach of Ayurveda in order to ensure more personalized and comprehensive healthcare. He stated that integration is a progressive and globally recognized approach to healthcare, and its scope will expand in the coming years.
According to him, modern medicine students often overlook the ayurvedic acharya, Sushruta, who is considered as the father of surgery. Studies also fail to include the fact that 25 percent of all allopathic drugs used worldwide are plant-based medicines. When integrating such treatment methods, our goal should be the benefits it offers to public health.
He said, the government has observed a concerted effort by certain groups to undermine the propagation of Ayurveda within India, despite its increasing acceptance abroad. This includes the spread of unsubstantiated claims on social media, such as ayurvedic medicines causing damage to the kidneys and liver. These activities are perceived as part of a "mafia" operation aimed at discrediting traditional Indian medicine.
Welcoming the decision of the union health ministry to start the integrated course, the AMMOI secretary said starting BAMS-MBBS integrated courses at JIPMER will help allopathic practitioners better understand the potential of Ayurveda and open up new possibilities in the field of treatment. This integrated study method will also provide a response to the tendency of rejecting, with prejudice, the scientific potential of Ayurveda, especially when a huge number of new research papers related to Ayurveda are being generated to create a global awakening about its scientific validity.
Similar to what has been implemented in China, the WHO assesses that integrating all treatment methods for public health in the future will help reduce medicine consumption by up to 50 percent and enable a better quality of life. Numerous ongoing research efforts in the field of Ayurveda, both government-funded and independent, are helping to solidify its scientific foundation, he stated.
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