Do you find fulfilment in helping people? Is a medical profession appealing to you? If both of these have a resounding yes from you, you might have already looked into pursuing an MBBS after completing your 10+2. However, MBBS courses are expensive, not to mention the insane competition you need to face to get a seat in an MBBS program.

Thankfully, there is another MBBS-equivalent course that one can choose to pursue in India. This course can be found at Ayurvedic colleges in Bhopal and the rest of India, thanks to the AYUSH ministry.

In this blog, we’ll discuss how to determine if studying in ayurvedic colleges in Bhopal or any other part of India is beneficial to you, and if yes then why?

BAMS in Ayurvedic Colleges

The name of the MMBS-equivalent course is BAMS, which stands for Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery. This is an undergraduate course in Ayurvedic medicine, which takes five years and six months to complete. BAMS includes an internship period just like MBBS so that students can get practical experience working with qualified doctors at the best Ayurvedic hospital in India.

For more details about this course, check out the table below.

How to Find Out if BAMS is Right For You?

Now that you understand the basics of the BAMS course that is offered by Ayurvedic colleges in Bhopal and the rest of India, let us move on to finding out if it is for you or not. Here are a few things that you might need to consider before applying for this course at BAMS colleges in MP or any other state.

Eligibility

A lot of the eligibility criteria for a BMAS course are similar to MMBS. The first one, of course, is qualifying for NEET( National Eligibility Cum Entrance Test). You can’t apply to Ayurvedic colleges in MP or anywhere else without having qualified and appeared in NEET.

Secondly, there is also an age limit. Candidates who apply to the BAMS course at Ayurvedic colleges in Bhopal or elsewhere have to be within the age limit (17 – 25) as of 31st December of their year of admission.

Similarly, candidates with a 10+2 equivalent certificate or diploma in Physics, Chemistry and Maths can also qualify for the NEET to get a seat in the BAMS programs. There is also a 5% relaxation for candidates belonging to the reserved categories.

Recognition

Just like MBBS, completing the BAMS course will qualify you too to practice as a registered medical service provider in India. Yes, BAMS doctors are doctors too! This is thanks to the CCIM (Central Council of Indian Medicine), which has recognised many Ayurvedic colleges in Bhopal and the rest of India. As long as the institution you pursue your BAMS at is recognised by the CCIM, you’ll be respected as a doctor within the medical community.

We don’t need to tell you how much respect doctors get from people in India.

These days, even foreign countries have caught on to Ayurveda, after yoga.

Demand

With the largest population in the world, India has already overtaken China as the most populous country in 2024. However, access to timely and quality healthcare remains a pipe dream for a lot of the country, especially for those who live in remote villages. India also has one of the highest doctor-to-patient rates in the world, with one doctor catering to hundreds of patients on average.

The demand for doctors and other medical professionals is one of the highest in the world in our country. Not to mention the huge gap in the number of patients versus the number of doctors. So if you decide to pursue your studies from a private BAMS college in Bhopal for example, you will at least have no shortage of patients.

Financials and Career

BAMS doctors can earn as much as MMBS doctors at the beginning of their careers, with salaries starting from INR 2 – 5 LPA, depending on other factors. These factors include:

• Reputation of the college
• Job Role
• Employer
• Location
• Specialisation
• Experience

The table below lists the average salaries of some job roles that you can get after completing your BAMS from Ayurvedic colleges in Bhopal.

Conclusion

BAMS can be a great alternative for those who are already interested in MBBS. This is for a variety of reasons, the most important being that there is less competition for seats in BAMS programs in Ayurvedic colleges in Bhopal. Another good to have is the fact that the same entrance exam (NEET) is valid for both programs. So in case you couldn’t secure an MMBS seat this year, you could always apply to a BAMS program instead.

The program also propagates our culture and traditions, so that is another added benefit. On top of that, you can practice as a registered ayurvedic doctor in an ayurvedic hospital in Bhopal or any other place in India and earn similarly hefty pay.

With the demand for ayurveda even reaching foreign shores, many other countries also allow you to practice ayurveda, with the required certification in that country. As for the respect and recognition, that will follow you for the rest of your life – as it should for anyone involved in helping the needy through the medical industry.

FAQs

• Can I specialise further after BAMS?

Yes, after completing BAMS you can go for a postgraduate MD or MS (depending on the specialisation you choose) to specialise further.

• How long is the internship in BAMS?

The internship in the BAMS course is a rotatory one, which means that you’ll be shuffled around different departments to get broad experience for 1 year.

• Why is BAMS so expensive?

Compared to MBBS, BAMS is a lot cheaper. However, since it is a medical course, there are a lot of expenses in labs, equipment, training, faculty, support staff, etc, which rack up the bill.

• Can I open my practice after BAMS?

Yes, you can open your independent practice after completing BAMS. However, we advise you to work professionally in a hospital or clinic for a few years to gain experience and clients.