Special Correspondent / New Delhi
All India Tibbi Congress, the representative body of Unani practitioners and graduates on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the Central government approach towards Unani medicine.
Tibbi Congress said that Unani graduates are being ignored in the two major health schemes namely Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) and Ayushman Bharat Yojana while other traditional medicines doctors are being recruited for these schemes.
Tibbi Congress’ working committee took the notice of this injustice at its meeting. The meeting, presided over by its president Dr Mushtaque Ahmad, observed that despite Unani medicine is being recognized as the most effective and side-effect free system, the central government is adopting step-motherly approached towards it.
CGHS is an important and unique scheme that is introduced in India to help the Government employees in providing medical care. While
Ayushman Bharat Yojana or Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana or National Health Protection Scheme is a national scheme that aimed at making necessary interventions in primary, secondary and tertiary health-care systems, in a holistic fashion.
Tibbi Congress organizational secretary, Dr D R Singh said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has recently opened new 52 dispensaries and Homeopathic and Ayurvedic doctors have got their due share. However, it is unfortunate that the ministry has totally ignored Unani doctors in the scheme, Dr Singh underlined. In the Ayushman Bharat Yojana too, he said the same attitude is being adopted towards Unani medicine. He said Tibbi Congress demands that in this scheme at least 20 percent quota must be reserved for Unani medicine.
There should be no discrimination with among the Indian traditional medicines as the government must follow the policy of even-handed in dealing with all the Indian medicines system, he said.
Tibbi Congress also expressed deep concern over the non-recruitment of Unani graduates in the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) which the largest autonomous Unani organization of the central government under the AYUSH ministry. It said the many posts have been lying vacant for years which have adversely affected the CCRUM’s research and other activities. Dr, Singh informed that Tibbi Congress has approached the ministry in this regard.
We demand equal treatment with Unani medicine and right place and share on par with other traditional Indian Medicines, Dr Singh said.