kolkata: For the first time in Eastern India, a medical college and hospital dedicated to Yoga and Naturopathy treatment is coming up in Howrah's Belur, which is expected to start its first undergraduate course from the next academic year.
State Health department has already provided a fund of Rs 33 crore out of the total approximate project costs of around Rs 67.58 crore. The entire project is coming up on 5 acres and the State government has already sanctioned the estimated cost of the project.
The West Bengal Medical Service Corporation (WBMSC) is the implementing authority. According to the sources in the Swasthya Bhawan, more than 80 per cent of the construction work has already been done and outpatient department (OPD) has been thrown open with limited capacity of manpower on a temporary basis.
The Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College is going to be one of the main hubs in South Bengal dealing in those disciplines which are the oldest modes of treatment in the country. Bachelor of Naturopathy and Yogic Science courses will be started from 2023-2024 academic sessions with 50 seats. The duration of the undergraduate course would be of five and half years out of which four and half years would be meant for study and the rest one year for internship.
State government is in the process of recruiting teaching and non-teaching professionals for the medical college which will start full-fledged operation with OPD service initially but indoor services will be added gradually.
It has not yet been decided as to how many indoor beds may be available in the hospital, sources said.
After coming to power the Mamata Banerjee government laid emphasis on various disciplines of AYUSH, oldest methods of treatment and also on the development of infrastructure even at the block and primary health center level. To promote AYUSH, a separate wing with the health department was created.
Once the project is completed, the Yoga and Naturopathy Medical College in Belur will cater to the huge number of patients in the region and also from other districts thereby taking off the pressure of the district and sub-divisional hospitals.
Naturopathy is an effective method to treat patients suffering from various chronic diseases including neurological issues, mental disorder, alzimers, and joint disorder. |