Chhattisgarh gets its first government homoeopathy college, with 63 BHMS seats

Chhattisgarh has received permission to open its first government homoeopathy college, the University College of Homoeopathy at Atal Nagar in Nava Raipur. The Medical Assessment and Rating Board of the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) in New Delhi granted the permission on Monday, 12 October 2026, after inspecting the newly built college. It allows the college to admit 63 students to the Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) course from the 2026-27 academic session. State Health Minister Shyam Bihari Jaiswal welcomed the decision, describing it as an important step in expanding Ayush medical education in the state.

Until now, a student in Chhattisgarh who wanted to study homoeopathy at a government college had to look outside the state or pay the higher fees of a private institution. A government college usually charges far lower fees than private ones, so the approval widens access for students from modest backgrounds, including those from the state's rural and tribal districts.

The timing also matters for this year's applicants. Ayush undergraduate counselling for 2026-27 is already under way across the country, with several states running second and third rounds in mid-October. Because the 63 seats are approved for the current session, they are expected to enter the counselling pool, which gives NEET candidates one more government option for BHMS.

The approval is also a reminder of how Ayush education is regulated. Since the National Commission for Homoeopathy Act, 2020, came into force, a homoeopathy college cannot admit students without the commission's permission, which depends on inspections of faculty, hospital facilities and infrastructure. The same system works in the other direction too: regulators in the Ayush sector have withheld recognition from colleges that fall short. A conditional permission, as reported in this case, generally means the college must meet set requirements to keep its approval in later years.

For the Ayush sector, more government colleges mean more trained practitioners for public health programmes, Ayush wellness centres and hospitals. Homoeopathy's place in evidence-based medicine is still debated, which makes well-run teaching institutions with proper hospitals and research training all the more important. A government college can also become a base for documented clinical work in the state.

Short-term: The 63 BHMS seats are expected to be added to this year's admissions, giving NEET-qualified students in Chhattisgarh and elsewhere a new low-cost government option. The college will need faculty and hospital services in place for the first batch.

Long-term: The college could supply homoeopathy doctors to the state's public health system and Ayush facilities over the next decade, and may become a centre for training and clinical research. Keeping its approval will depend on meeting the commission's conditions in future inspections.

Who is affected: NEET-UG candidates seeking Ayush courses, families of students in Chhattisgarh, the state's health and Ayush departments, homoeopathy teachers seeking faculty posts, and patients who use homoeopathy services.

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