While the so-called Muslim friendly Telangana state found disenchanted towards promoting Unani hospitals in the state, the north Indian states especially the Government of Assam has realized the importance and adopting the oldest method of treating people called Unani treatment in its homeland.
The Union Minister of Ayush Sarbananda Sonowal inaugurated the state-of-the-art complex of the Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine (RRIUM) at Silchar in Assam on Sunday. This is the first ever Unani treatment facility established in the Northeast with a mandate to provide the oldest traditional method of treatment to the people.
Ironically, the day when the Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine was inaugurated in Assam, we found an oldest Unani dispensary on the outskirts of Hyderabad city wallowing in an atrocious state.
The oldest Unani dispensary at Dargah Jahangir Peeran under Kothur Mandal in Rangaerddy district neither has sufficient staff nor is the sanitary condition found up to the mark.
Standing adjacent to the famous shrine with a daily footfall of 1500-2000 devotees, this single room dispensary was established nearly four decades ago to serve the people of the area especially the visitors irrespective of religion. However, neither the regular staff is available nor regular supervision is there to keep the facility active all the time. The whole ambiance of the dispensary became messy as filth coming from upward direction found accumulating at the door of the clinic making it completely difficult for the people to visit the facility.
The irony is, there is no attendant or a doctor to attend the patients visiting the clinic. Despite approval of the required posts, it is said that most of the seats were vacant for several years.
According to Dr.A.A.Khan, the State President All India Unani Tibbi Congress (AIUTCTS), “There are four posts sanctioned for the dispensary that include a Medical Officer, a Pharmacist Unani, a MNO/FNO and a part time sweeper. However, barring a Pharmacist Unani and part time sweeper, all the other posts remain vacant.”
“Despite the fact that the dispensary is located at a suitable place, he said, no measures were taken by the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy (AYUSH) to fill the vacant posts and upgrade the healthcare facility. This shows how serious the AYUSH department is in promoting the Unani healthcare system.”
“It was in the year 2011 when an order was issued for the filling of vacant posts of Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani in the state. However, all the vacant seats of Ayurveda and Homeopathy were filled in accordance of the order while leaving the Unani posts vacant. Atleast now the government should take a cue from the government of Assam and fill all the vacant posts of the Unani in the state,” demanded Dr.Khan.
