– Abdul Bari Masoud
New Delhi: The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) held a national conference to commemorate Unani Medicine Day on Monday. The day is celebrated as the birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan, a stalwart of freedom movement and savior of Unani Tibb. The conference emphasized the value of evidence-based scientific research in traditional medicine systems.
During his welcome speech, Dr. N. Zaheer Ahmed, Director General, CCRUM, paid rich tributes to Hakim Ajmal Khan, saying he was an esteemed leader of the freedom struggle and pioneer of scientific research in Unani medicine in India. According to him, Unani Day is a unique occasion on which we recognize the important role that Unani Medicine has been playing in easing the suffering of the general public.
Chief Guest Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush, said India is a global leader in traditional medicine. Stressing the importance of scientific research, he highlighted the research data generated in the Ayush sector.
Various publications and e-books, a mobile app on Unani compound drugs, and a documentary, all developed by the CCRUM, were released. Furthermore, NABH and NABL certificates were awarded to four CCRUM institutes, and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) exchanged between CCRUM and the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Hyderabad, marked a significant collaboration.
The valedictory function was addressed by Prof. Atul Goel, Director-General, Directorate General of Health Services; Dr. M.A. Qasmi, Advisor (Unani), Ministry of Ayush; Satyajit Paul, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Ayush; Prof. Dinesh Kumar, Vice-Chancellor, Gurugram University; Prof. Shakil Ahmad Romshoo, Vice-Chancellor, Islamic University of Science & Technology, J&K; Dr. Sunchu Glory Swarupa, Director-General, National Institute for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises, Hyderabad; and Dr. Ranjana Aggarwal, Director, CSIR-National Institute of Science Communication and Policy Research, New Delhi.
During technical sessions, experts and luminaries from the field of health sciences shared their knowledge, experiences, and expertise on different aspects of the conference theme. Stakeholders from industry, academia, and research organizations engaged in the development of Unani Medicine and related health sciences attended the conference in large numbers. A panel discussion on the theme of the conference was chaired by Prof. Asim Ali Khan, Chairman, SAC, CCRUM.
