What is World Unani Day?

World Unani Day is a global event celebrated on February 11 to spread awareness
about health care delivery through Unani system of medicine through its preventive and curative philosophy.

It is the birthday of the great Unani scholar and social reformer ‘Hakim Ajmal Khan’.

The objective of celebrating the event is to pay tribute to Hakim Ajmal Khan for his contribution in the sustained development of the Unani system of medicine in the country and world across.

What is the meaning of Unani?

Unani is an Islamic healing philosophy that includes major elements of ancient
Greek medicine.

In Arabic, Unani means “Greek”, which assumes four elements—earth, fire, water, air—and four corresponding humours: Blood (dam), Phlegm (balgham), Black bile (sauda), and Yellow bile (safra) respectively.

It also includes minor elements of ayurvedic medicine.

When was the First Unani Day celebrated?

In 2017, First Unani Day was celebrated at CRIUM (Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine), Hyderabad.

During that event, the celebration included Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) Awards distribution ceremony and cosmetology in Unani Medicine at that time, and a Two-day National Seminar on Skin Diseases.

In the year 2018, when 11th  February was declared as Unani Day, the scheme of AYUSH Awards was also started by CCRUM in different categories for the Unani system of Medicine on the behalf of the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.

As 11th  February 2018 marked the 150th  birth anniversary of Hakim Ajmal Khan,
the Ministry of AYUSH decided to celebrate the 2 nd  Unani Day as a big occasion.
At Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, the event included a 2-day International

Conference on Integration of Unani System of Medicine in Mainstream
Healthcare, on 10th  and 11th  February 2018. AYUSH Awards for Unani Medicine
were also distributed.

What is the main objective of World Unani Day?

Its main motive is to create awareness about health care delivery through the Unani system of medicine with its curative and preventive philosophy.

In India, the Unani system of medicine has a long and quite impressive record. The Arabs and Persians introduced this system in India sometime around the eleventh century.

Today, as far as the practice of Unani medicine is concerned, India is one of the leading
countries. The largest numbers of Unani educational, research, and health care
institutions are situated in India.

Who is Hakim Ajmal Khan?

Hakim Ajmal Khan was born on 11th February, 1868.

He was an eminent Indian Unani physician who was a versatile genius, a great scholar, a social reformer, a noted freedom fighter, an Unani medical educationist, and founder of scientific research in the Unani System of Medicine.

To recognize his role and contribution in the development of the aforementioned system, the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India declared his birthday as “World Unani Day”.

By profession, Khan was a distinguished Unani clinician, herbalist, spiritual healer, politician, and poet.

He was one of the founders of the Jamia Millia Islamia University, New Delhi.

He was also appointed the university's first chancellor in 1920 and remained in office
until his death in 1927.
Hakim Ajmal Khan took great interest in the expansion and development of the
Unani system of medicine and built three important institutions, the Central College in Delhi, the Hindustani Dawakhana, and the Ayurvedic and Unani Tibbiya College better known as Tibbia College, Karol Bagh, Delhi, which expanded research and practice in the field and saved the Unani System of Medicine from extinction in India.

His continuous efforts infused new energy, force, and life into an otherwise decaying medical system under British rule.