The Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), a regulatory body under the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has declared the city-based IBAM Academy as unauthorised saying that it did not have the approval, recognition or affiliation of the CCIM.
In a public notice issued on Wednesday, the CCIM said that the course BAMS (Bachelor of Alternative Medical System) advertised by the institute is erroneous.
“Their courses named BAMS, its nomenclature is as similar as to the course named BAMS which is conducted by CCIM and it is medically abbreviated as Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery. Thus the course name Bachelor of Alternative Medical System does not exist, not exist in any medical glossary,” the notice said, adding that: “It is completely false, fake and erroneous course.”
The CCIM notice also mentioned that alternative system of medicine is not recognised system by either the CCIM or the Government of India for any purpose.
CCIM according to its official website, is a statutory body which regulates the practice of the Indian system of medicine. It frames and implements regulation including curricula and syllabi for ayurveda, siddha, unani and sowa and rigpa systems of medicine.
When contacted by The Hindu , IBAM officials said that they would make public their official response very soon.
Enquiries revealed that IBAM’s plan was to issue a counter notice giving their version followed by a letter to CCIM to clarify matters. The fact that the acronym of the IBAM course was BAMS (A.M.) and not BAMS, would also be pointed out.
The Indian Board of Alternative Medicines, which runs IBAM is registered by the West Bengal Government under the Society Registration Act. The 24 year old institute, has so far turned out four lakh ‘practitioners’, it was learnt.