AYUSH to set up India’s 1st All India Institute of Unani Medicine

Posted on July 4, 2016 Updated on July 4, 2016

Aiming to bring a valid and useful synergy between traditional wisdom of Unani medicine and modern tools and technology, the Union ministry of Ayush will soon establish the country’s first All India Institute of Unani Medicine (AIIUM) at Ghaziabad near Delhi.  This institute will also function as an international collaborative centre for global promotion and research in Unani medicine.
 
The institute will be developed as an apex institute for education and research in Unani medicine. It will provide a bridge between traditional knowledge of Unani medicine and modern technology. Besides post-graduation, doctoral courses in various disciplines of Unani medicine, the institute will focus on fundamental aspects, drug development, standardization, quality control, safety evaluation and scientific validation of Unani medicine.

It will have an annual intake capacity of around 120 students. The hospital attached with this institute will be used for clinical education and research and providing tertiary healthcare.

The institute would offer postgraduate and doctoral courses in various disciplines of Unani medicine and focus on fundamental research, drug development, standardization, quality control, safety evaluation and scientific validation of Unani medicine. It will have a 200-bed referral hospital for facilitating clinical research. Once fully established, the institute will have 28 departments, 14 specialty clinics with interdisciplinary research laboratories wherein 120 scholars will have access to post-graduate and doctoral (MD and PhD/ DM) programmes every year.

The hospital will be equipped with traditional therapeutic and interventional infra-structure, such as traditional Hammams and state-of-the-art diagnostic tools and techniques, which will be used in therapy, teaching, training and research. The patient care will be provided mainly through Unani medicine at secondary and tertiary levels.

Establishment of the institute envisages bringing synergy between traditional wisdom of Unani medicine and modern science. Development and documentation of best practices, safety and efficacy aspects and standard treatment protocols of Unani medicine will be focused upon. The institute would give emphasis to quality post graduate education to practitioners in traditional and alternative medicine. It would provide an impetus for the promotion of Unani medicine in the Indian Sub-continent. The institute will also provide opportunities for practitioners of Unani medicine not only in India but also in the neighbouring regions such as Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, UAE, and other Middle Eastern countries.

Unani medicine being specialized in use of indigenous medicinal plants and minerals can provide a valuable input on medicinal plants to institutions working on Indian medicinal plants The establishment of the institute will fulfill the long pending demands to establish a quality education and research institute for Unani medicine. It is envisaged to develop it as a Centre of Excellence for Unani medicine in the future and focus will be on fundamental research, drug safety evaluation, standardization, quality control and scientific validation, post-graduate and doctorate degree level of studies.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 389.91 crore and it is proposed to be completed in five years.

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