Unani practitioners also seek the right to perform surgeries

Naveen S Garewal
Tribune News Service
Hyderabad, January 12 

After the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) allowed ayurvedic doctors to perform some surgeries, the Unani doctors are now seeking similar permission, saying that their syllabus is similar to the allopathic doctors and were competent to perform surgeries. 

The Unani doctors studying or having passed out from the Hyderabad’s Nizamia Tibbi College, popularly called Charminar Unani Dawakhana has asked the Union government to grant them permission to perform surgeries.

The Unani Doctors Association has said, “We are also taught the same syllabus as that in MBBS and are well trained to perform surgeries, in fact, we also have a year’s internship in our Bachelor’s course.” 

A representation is being prepared to be sent to the Union government, the association has announced.

The Unani medicine, like the ayurvedic medicine, practices the balancing of certain elements in the body, mainly represented through the “the four humors” (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile).

Only a good balance between them can assure good health. The ayurvedic medicine practices the balance of three elements or doshas known as Vata, Pitta and Kapha.

The demand of the Unani practitioners was first raised after the Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM), India’s principal regulatory body for Ayurveda education notified its decision to allow postgraduate Ayurveda practitioners to perform 58 types of surgeries.

Taking a cue from that the 8,000 Unani odd practitioners in Telangana are asking, “When the government can permit Ayurveda doctors to perform surgeries then why not us?”