Siddha Doctor in India (NEET-UG, BSMS & Internship)
From Class 11-12 PCB and NEET (UG), through AACCC or state AYUSH counselling and the 4½-year BSMS course, to the 12-month compulsory rotatory internship and registration
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Where it leads
- Siddha doctor in a hospital or clinic
- Siddha practitioner in private practice
- Varmam and external therapy specialist (with further training)
- Siddha researcher or teacher (after postgraduate study)
0 of 8 steps done
Before you spend money or years
Check these first; they can end the journey before it costs you
Go / no-go check
Red light: check these before paying any fees.
BSMS is a full medical degree in its own system, not a route into MBBS. The course is long (5½ years including the internship) and its terms are Tamil throughout. Check that your college is recognised by NCISM before you pay any fees: only a recognised degree leads to registration.
Is this you?
Tick the ones that are true for you.
8 steps to your licence
Your route to practise: 8 steps in 4 stages. Tap a step to read it; log the date when you finish it.
Meet NCISM’s Class 12 and Tamil requirements, qualify NEET (UG) and secure a seat through AACCC or your state’s AYUSH counselling.
Siddha’s principles, the human body, medicines and pathology, with clinical training in the attached hospital from the first year.
The clinical subjects, taught with OPD and IPD training in the attached hospital.
A twelve-month compulsory rotatory internship, then registration to practise.
More about this career
About the job, pay where you live, questions people ask, and where this career can take you next.
About the job
What you’d do
- Take case histories, examine patients, order tests, and diagnose and manage general medical conditions
- Use Siddha diagnostic methods, including envagai thervu and naadi (pulse) examination
- Treat with varmam therapy and external therapies (puramaruthuvam), including thokkanam
- Carry out minor surgical procedures, such as suturing, dressing wounds and draining abscesses
- Give antenatal and postnatal care, and care for newborns, including immunisation
- Keep clinical records, and give first aid to casualty cases before referring them
Where you’d work
- Siddha hospitals attached to colleges
- Primary health centres and community health centres
- District, civil and rural hospitals
- Siddha hospitals and dispensaries
- Clinical units of the Central Council for Research in Siddha and the National Institute of Siddha
Licence to practise
Registration is with National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM)
- Pass all professional exams and get provisional registration from your State Board or Council to start the internship
- Complete the one-year compulsory rotatory internship, including NCISM's online public health course
- Register with your State Board or Council; NCISM publishes the state entries in its National Register
- If you were admitted from 2021–22 onwards, expect NCISM's National Exit Test (NExT), tentatively from March 2027
Directions you can take
- Maruthuvam (medicine)
- Varmam, Puramaruthuvam and Sirappu Maruthuvam
- Aruvai (surgery, including eye, ENT, dental and skin)
- Sool and Magalir Maruthuvam (obstetrics and gynaecology)
- Kuzhanthai Maruthuvam (paediatrics)
- Avasara Maruthuvam (emergency medicine)
Every step in full
The complete text of every step, to read or print. Work through them in the journey above.
NEET (UG) and Counselling 2 steps
Qualify NEET (UG)
Admission to BSMS is through NEET (UG), conducted by the National Testing Agency (NTA).
Real-world task: Download this year’s NEET (UG) bulletin and mark the chapters on BAMS, BSMS, BUMS and BHMS admission (chapters 7 and 9 in 2026).
Why it matters: Without a NEET (UG) result you cannot be admitted to BSMS.
Checklist
- Study Class 11–12 Physics, Chemistry and Biology to meet NCISM’s minimum marks
- Check that you studied Tamil in Class 10 or 12, or be ready to study it in the First Professional year
- Read the current NEET (UG) information bulletin on neet.nta.nic.in for dates, eligibility and the exam pattern
- Register for and appear in NEET (UG) in the year you want to start
Get a seat through AACCC or state counselling
AACCC counsels the all-India quota for BSMS; your state’s AYUSH counselling authority counsels the state-quota seats.
Real-world task: Make a shortlist of NCISM-recognised Siddha colleges and compare government and private seats.
Why it matters: Only a degree from a recognised college leads to registration and practice.
Checklist
- Register on aaccc.gov.in for the all-India quota rounds
- Register with your state’s AYUSH counselling authority for state seats
- Confirm on ncismindia.org that the college is recognised by NCISM before paying fees
- Ask the college its medium of instruction: NCISM allows Tamil, English, a recognised regional language or Hindi
First and Second Professional BSMS 2 steps
First Professional: principles and the human body
NCISM’s subjects: Siddha Maruthuva Adippadai Thathuvangalum Varalaarum (history and fundamental principles of Siddha medicine), Udal Koorugal (human anatomy), Udal Thathuvam (human physiology), Uyir Vedhiyiyal (biochemistry), Nunnuyiriyal (microbiology), and Tamil or communicative English where it applies, plus at least three electives.
Real-world task: Make a table linking each Siddha principle you study to the matching physiology topic.
Why it matters: Every later clinical subject builds on these principles.
Checklist
- Learn the Siddha concepts of the three humours (Vatham, Pitham, Kabam) and the body’s constituents
- Build a strong base in anatomy, physiology and biochemistry
- Take part in the clinical training that starts in the First Professional year
Second Professional: medicines, pathology and public health
NCISM’s subjects: Maruthuva Thavaraviyal (medicinal botany and pharmacognosy), Gunapadam Marunthiyal (materia medica and pharmacology), Gunapadam Marunthakaviyal (pharmaceutics), Noi Naadal I and II (Siddha pathology and principles of modern pathology), Sattam Saarntha Maruthuvamum Nanju Maruthuvamum (forensic medicine and toxicology) and Noi Anugavidhi Ozhukkam (disease prevention and public health), plus at least three electives.
Real-world task: Keep a herbarium notebook of the medicinal plants you identify, with their uses.
Why it matters: Medicines and pathology are the core of clinical practice in the final stage.
Checklist
- Learn to identify common medicinal plants and Siddha medicines
- Follow medicine preparation in the teaching pharmacy
- Practise Siddha diagnostic methods during the hospital postings
Third (Final) Professional BSMS 2 steps
Clinical subjects
NCISM’s subjects: Maruthuvam (medicine), Varmam, Puramaruthuvam and Sirappumaruthuvam (Varmam, external therapy and special medicine), Aruvai (surgery, including eye, ENT, dentistry and skin), Sool and Magalir Maruthuvam (obstetrics and gynaecology), Kuzhanthai Maruthuvam (paediatrics) and research methodology and medical statistics, plus at least three electives.
Real-world task: Write up five supervised patient cases from different departments, with diagnosis and management.
Why it matters: This stage prepares you to manage patients on your own after the internship.
Checklist
- Take histories and examine patients under supervision in every department
- Assist in Varmam and external therapy procedures
- Learn to recognise emergencies and when to refer
Research methodology
Research methodology and medical statistics are part of the final stage.
Real-world task: Summarise one published clinical study and list its strengths and limits.
Why it matters: Evidence skills matter in practice and for postgraduate study.
Checklist
- Read published Siddha research critically
- Learn basic study designs and statistics
Compulsory Rotatory Internship and Registration 2 steps
Complete the 12-month compulsory rotatory internship
You join the internship after passing every subject, including nine electives, with a provisional degree certificate from your university and a provisional registration certificate from your State Board or Council. NCISM allows two patterns: six months in the college’s Siddha hospital and six months in a government health centre or hospital, or all twelve months in the college’s Siddha hospital.
Real-world task: Keep a monthly log of the cases you managed and the procedures you performed.
Why it matters: The degree is awarded only after the internship is complete.
Checklist
- Apply for provisional registration with your State Board or Council before the internship
- Complete every rotation and keep your logbook signed
- Ask your college for the internship completion certificate at the end
Register and choose your path
After the internship, follow your State Board or Council’s process to register as a Siddha practitioner, then choose practice, government service or postgraduate study.
Real-world task: Find your State Board or Council of Indian Medicine and list the documents it asks for.
Why it matters: Practising without registration is not allowed.
Checklist
- Check your State Board or Council’s registration requirements
- Compare government posts, hospital jobs and private practice
- If you plan postgraduate study, read the current entrance notice
Questions people ask about Siddha Doctor in India (NEET-UG, BSMS & Internship)
Clear answers regarding timelines, prerequisites, salaries, and study strategies.
How long is BSMS?
Five years and six months: three professional stages of eighteen months each and a twelve-month compulsory rotatory internship (NCISM regulations, 2022).
Is admission to BSMS through NEET?
Yes. Admission is through NEET (UG). AACCC counsels the all-India quota and each state counsels its own seats (NEET (UG) 2026 information bulletin).
Do I need to know Tamil?
NCISM asks for Tamil as a subject in Class 10 or 12. If you did not study it, you study Tamil in the First Professional year.
Who regulates BSMS?
The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM). Check that a college is recognised by NCISM before you pay fees.