“Unani Medicine can offer the right solution for many health challenges we are facing due to lack of treatment of many diseases and paucity of resources”, said Dr. Najma Heptulla, Governor of Manipur, inaugurating the two-day National Conference on Unani Medicine organized by the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) as a part of 3rd Unani Day celebration in New Delhi recently.

Dr. Heptulla urged the Unani fraternity to progress and evolve with the changing times, adapt to new techniques of health research and contribute new approaches to health management. She informed that Manipur has the treasure of over 500 medicinal plants and invited the medical scientists to visit the state for research.

Addressing the conference themed on ‘Unani Medicine for Public Health’, Minister of State (IC) for AYUSH, Shripad Yesso Naik enlightened the audience on concrete steps taken by the Ministry of AYUSH to promote Unani Medicine in national public healthcare system through regulation of research and integration of quality products, practices, and practitioners into the health system.

‘Our efforts are focused to tap the real potential of AYUSH systems in imparting preventive, promotive and holistic healthcare to the people’, he added. Tribute was paid to Hakim Ajmal Khan, whose birth anniversary is celebrated as Unani Day on 11th February every year.

Highlighting the strengths of Unani Medicine and other AYUSH systems in his address, Union Minister for Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said that the AYUSH systems are golden key to health and wellbeing and India is the strongest hub of Traditional Medicine which is one of the reasons medical tourism is flourishing in the country.

Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary to the Ministry of AYUSH urged to adapt Information Technology and informed about the steps taken by the Ministry of AYUSH in the form of National AYUSH Morbidity and Standardized Terminologies Electronic Portal (NAMASTE - PORTAL), initiative for incorporation of AYUSH Morbidity Codes in WHO – ICD 11, AYUSH Grid, use of Social Media and A-HMIS.  He made the announcement for allotment of land and allocation of Rs. 250 crore for National Institute of Unani Medicine to be setup in Ghaziabad.