Chittoor: In a move that underscores the growing emphasis on AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy) medical systems by the NDA governments at both the Centre and in Andhra Pradesh, a new private homeopathy medical college has been sanctioned for Chittoor district.

The proposed institution, named Venkateswara Homeopathy Medical College and Hospital, will be established in Muthirevula village of Puthalapattu mandal under the aegis of Srinivasa Education Society.

The initiative received formal approval from State Health and Family Welfare Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav following a thorough review of the available infrastructure and facilities at the proposed site.

The new college will admit 100 undergraduate students annually into the five-and-a-half-year Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) programme. The campus will also include a 50-bed hospital, which is already operational under the same society.

With this addition, AP will now have a total of eight homeopathy medical colleges, five of which are in the private sector and the other three government-run.

Until now, the state had seven such institutions offering BHMS courses, collectively enrolling around 500 undergraduate students per year.

Each of these institutions also plays a vital role in community healthcare. On average, homeopathy colleges in the state treat about 250 outpatients and 15 inpatients daily, highlighting their contribution to alternative medicine and rural healthcare outreach.