SRINAGAR: Jammu and Kashmir has three recognised institutions offering undergraduate education in Unani medicine with a combined annual intake capacity of 160 BUMS seats, while the Regional Research Institute of Unani Medicine (RRIUM), Naseem Bagh Campus, offers postgraduate education with an annual intake of 18 seats, the Union Government informed the Lok Sabha on Friday.
The details were provided by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Ayush Prataprao Jadhav in a written reply to an unstarred question on the promotion of the Unani system of medicine and education.
According to the Ministry of Ayush, the three recognised undergraduate institutions in Jammu and Kashmir are Unani Medical College and Hospital, Institute of Asian Medical Sciences, with an intake of 40 BUMS seats; Kashmir Tibbia College Hospital and Research Centre, with 60 seats; and Government Unani Medical College and Hospital, also with 60 seats.
The RRIUM at Naseem Bagh Campus has an annual postgraduate intake capacity of 18 seats for Unani Mahire Tib (Doctor of Medicine).
The Union Government said the National Sample Survey Office’s 79th Round survey, conducted between July 2022 and June 2023, covered 1,81,298 households, including 1,04,195 rural and 77,103 urban households, to assess awareness and use of Ayush systems, including Unani.
The survey found that awareness of Ayush systems stood at 94.8 per cent among rural residents and 96 per cent among urban residents. Around 46.3 per cent of rural residents and 52.9 per cent of urban residents reported using Ayush treatment or preventive care during the preceding 365 days. The figures, however, relate to Ayush systems as a whole and not Unani alone, the government said.
The Ministry said it promotes Unani through its Information, Education and Communication scheme and observes Unani Day every February to raise public awareness.
The Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM), an autonomous body under the Ministry of Ayush, operates 21 clinical institutes, units and centres across the country. Its public outreach initiatives, including clinical mobile research, school health and mobile healthcare programmes, benefited approximately 47 lakh people during the last five years.
During the same period, the council organised three international conferences, 205 training programmes and 322 seminars, conferences, webinars and lectures, besides participating in 129 Arogya/Health Melas and exhibitions.
The government also said the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM) had introduced regulatory and curriculum reforms to improve the quality of Unani education. These include competency-based undergraduate and postgraduate curricula, early clinical exposure, clinical skills and simulation laboratories, a semester and credit framework at postgraduate level, electives, formative assessments and provisions for advanced research.
To promote research, NCISM provides publication grants to eligible candidates and, in association with CCRUM, has implemented the Studentship Programme for Unani Research (SPUR) for undergraduate students.
The government said NEET is conducted for admission to undergraduate BUMS courses, while the All India AYUSH Post Graduate Entrance Test (AIAPGET) is conducted for postgraduate admissions. NCISM has also implemented a National Teachers’ Eligibility Test for those seeking to enter the Unani teaching profession.
