Step up regulation: On AYUSH medical education

Private institutions now run 86% of the country’s Ayurveda colleges and 85% of its homoeopathy colleges, according to the latest government data, driving a rapid expansion of AYUSH medical education between 2021 and 2024. During the same period, permitted seats climbed 43% and total admission capacity rose 25%, while the Centre’s AYURGYAN budget for AYUSH education, training and research increased nearly sixfold. The growth raises questions about the quality of training and what students are being prepared to practise within India’s traditional medicine systems.

Concerns over standards in AYUSH education are long-standing. A 2005 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General flagged widespread shortages of hospital beds, outpatient services and staff in homoeopathy colleges, with bed occupancy ranging from 1% to 71%. A 2020 study in the Journal of Ayurveda and Integrative Medicine found many institutions lacked more than half the teaching faculty required under existing norms. The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), the sector regulator, has repeatedly withheld or refused approvals after inspections revealed gaps in faculty numbers and infrastructure.

Private colleges face particular scrutiny. As of August 21, the NCISM had listed 17 Ayurveda colleges—all private—whose permissions were denied, several for failing to follow the inspection process. In 2023, the Karnataka High Court, in a case involving Hillside Ayurveda Medical College, noted that “often educational institutions are … guilty of admitting excess students for financial gains.” The National Commission for Homoeopathy has graded 41% of homoeopathy colleges at the lowest level, including nearly half of all private institutions.

Despite these enforcement actions, recurring issues persist. Regulatory non-compliance continues to include inadequate or disputed faculty numbers, failure to meet inspection requirements, inflated student intake and, in some cases, allegations of fictitious faculty. While it is too early to conclude that rapid expansion has worsened these problems, the pattern of persistent gaps in quality control calls for stronger oversight and a review of incentives for private institutions. Questions also remain about the evidence base supporting AYUSH medicinal systems.

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