Islamabad: In a move aimed at reviving traditional systems of medicine and offering patients safer and affordable treatment options for chronic illnesses, the Health Services Academy (HSA) has offered to launch degree-level education in Tibbe Unani in Pakistan on the pattern of China’s Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), urging senior hakims and practitioners to help develop a standardised, evidence-based academic framework for the discipline.
The degree-awarding institution has called upon experienced and qualified Tibbe Unani practitioners to jointly develop a modern curriculum, align it with contemporary public health and biomedical standards, and seek formal approval from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) so that trained and regulated professionals can be produced through universities rather than through informal and unregulated pathways.
Speaking at a meeting of the Standing Committee on Tibbe Unani at the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI), Vice Chancellor Health Services Academy Prof. Dr Shahzad Ali Khan said that the future of traditional medicine in Pakistan lay in institutionalising education, regulation and research, rather than relying on informal practice.
“As modern medicine’s errors are reportedly killing around three million people globally every year, it is time to seriously promote traditional systems of medicine as complementary and alternative options, particularly for chronic diseases,” he said.
“But this cannot be done through quackery or informal practice. We need degree-level education in eastern systems of medicine, including Tibbe Unani, to produce trained and qualified health experts in Pakistan.”
Prof. Khan said HSA was ready to offer degree programmes in Tibbe Unani once the academic framework was developed and approved by the HEC.
Under the existing regulatory framework, any new degree programme requires a properly constituted curriculum committee, defined learning outcomes, qualified faculty, clinical training arrangements, research components, and formal accreditation by the HEC. He said collaboration between hakims, public health experts, medical educationists and regulators would be essential to meet these standards.
Drawing parallels with China, he noted that despite being one of the world’s largest producers of raw material for allopathic medicines, more than 60 percent of China’s population still relies on Traditional Chinese Medicine for primary healthcare needs.
“Pakistani hakims can learn a lot from how China has institutionalised, regulated and commercialised TCM as a formal industry rather than keeping it confined to informal practice,” he added.
The HSA vice chancellor stressed that instead of repeatedly seeking government patronage, Tibbe Unani practitioners should work towards developing their field as a regulated healthcare industry, with standardised education, quality control, pharmacovigilance and evidence-based practice.
“Once Tibbe Unani becomes an organised industry, it will start growing like Chinese TCM and India’s Ayurvedic system,” he said.
He also acknowledged that while a large segment of the Pakistani population is inclined towards traditional medicine, public trust in hakims has been badly eroded due to widespread quackery, exaggerated claims and lack of regulation.
“People do want alternatives, but they do not trust unqualified practitioners. Once we produce degree-holding, trained and regulated professionals, patients will approach them with confidence,” Prof. Khan said.
Referring to the World Health Organization’s position, he said WHO recognises traditional and complementary medicine and encourages member states to integrate it into national health systems, provided it is evidence-based, safe and properly regulated.
He said the rising cost of healthcare and concerns over unethical marketing practices in parts of the pharmaceutical industry were also pushing patients to look for alternative options, creating space for credible, scientifically evaluated traditional medicine in Pakistan.
Chairman of the RCCI Standing Committee on Tibbe Unani Hakeem Abdul Aziz welcomed HSA’s offer, saying that the traditional medicine sector had long suffered due to lack of formal education pathways and regulatory neglect.
He said the community of hakims was ready to work with academic institutions to modernise curricula, introduce quality standards and promote research so that Tibbe Unani could gain wider acceptance among both the public and policymakers.
Former office-bearer of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Barlas Khan, speaking at the event, said traditional medicine had economic potential as well, noting that Pakistan could develop Tibbe Unani into a regulated healthcare and wellness industry, creating jobs, export opportunities and value-added herbal products if proper standards, research and certification mechanisms were put in place.
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