Bowing to pressure from doctors of homoeopathy, the state government has decided to bring the homoeopathy and ayurvedic medical degree courses under the jurisdiction of the West Bengal University of Health Sciences.

If the government’s plans materialise, the university will start admitting the first batch of students to its homoeopathy and ayurvedic courses from the 2004-2005 academic session, scheduled to begin in July.

The decision will bring relief to hundreds of students waiting to seek admission to the 13 homoeopathy medical colleges and an ayurvedic medical college that are now affiliated to various state-aided universities, including Calcutta University.

“We have received preliminary instructions from the government to start preparations for including the homoeopathy and ayurvedic courses under the jurisdiction of our university. We are trying to admit our first batch of students from the 2004- 05 session,” said vice-chancellor M.M. Chowdhury.

Sources in the state health department said that with the framing of the new act, the government was to bring all under-graduate and post-graduate courses, including those in allopathy, homoeopathy and ayurveda, as well as in nursing, under the single umbrella university.

But, disregarding the provisions of the act, the new university only took in the courses in allopathy and nursing. The homoeopathy and ayurvedic courses remained under the control of the state-aided universities.

The umbrella university’s refusal to take over the homoeopathy course created serious resentment among a section of prominent doctors. They felt that with the setting up of the new university, the medical faculties of Calcutta University and other state-aided universities had automatically dissolved. This meant that after the university came into being, the degrees offered by the state-aided universities would no longer be valid.

“We are happy that the government has realised the problem and taken proper steps to include the homoeopathy institutions under the jurisdiction of the new university,” said Ramkrishna Ghosh Mondal, homoeopath and former principal of Mahesh Bhattacharya Homoeopathy Medical College and Hospital.