World Unani Day is annually observed across the globe on February 11 to create and spread awareness about health care delivery through the Unani system of medicine. The day also commemorates the birth anniversary of Mohammad Ajmal Khan, better known as “Hakim Ajmal Khan”, a great Indian Unani Scholar and social reformer.
- 11th February 2023 marks the 155th anniversary of Mohammad Ajmal Khan.
The theme of World Unani Day 2023 is “Unani Medicine for Public Health”.
- The day marks the contribution of Mohammad Ajmal Khan to the growth of Unani medicine in India and globally.
Objective:
The major goal is to raise awareness among the masses and action about the Unani system of medicine’s preventive and curative philosophy.
Background:
i. The Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Government of India has declared the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan, February 11 of every year as the World Unani Day to recognise his contribution towards the development of Unani medicine in India and across the globe.
ii. The 1st ever World Unani Day was observed on 11th February 2017 at the Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM) (now National Research Institute of Unani Medicine for Skin Disorders (NRIUMSD)), Hyderabad, Telangana.
International Conference on Unani Medicine:
i. On the occasion of World Unani Day, an International Conference on Unani Medicine is organized by the CRIUM, Ministry of AYUSH, every year.
ii. The International Conference on “Unani Medicine for Public Health” was held on 10th & 11th February 2023 in New Delhi, Delhi.
2023 Conference:
Union Minister of AYUSH, Sarbananda Sonowal, inaugurated the International Conference on Unani Medicine for Public Health at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, Delhi.
- Sarbananda Sonowal also launched a mobile app for Unani Medicine developed by the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine on the occasion.
About Mohammad Ajmal Khan:
i. Mohammad Ajmal Khan was born on 11th February 1868 in Delhi, British India. He was an educator, an Unani physician, and the founder of scientific study in the Unani system of medicine.
- He pioneered research in Unani Medicine with modern scientific parameters in the 1920s.
ii. He was the founder and President of the All-India Muslim League. He has also served as the President of the Indian Congress.
iii. He was one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi, Delhi, and was appointed as the 1st Chancellor of the University, a post he held till his demise in 1927.
About Unani System:
i. Unani medicine, also called Unani tibb, is a tradition of healing and health maintenance observed in South Asia.
ii. Ancient Greek physicians Hippocrates and Galen’s teachings can be recognised as the origin of Unani medicine.
iii. The work of its practitioners, or hakims, who depended on natural healing based on principles of harmony and balance, integrating the physical, mental, and spiritual realms, can be used to characterise the history of Unani medicine.
About the Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM):
CRIUM (NRIUMSD) is a decentralized Institute working under the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM).
Director In-Charge- Dr Ahmed Minhajuddin
Headquarters- New Delhi, Delhi.
Establishment- 1971
