Unani in India and Pakistan: Training, Colleges and Regulation

What this page is, and is not

Unani medicine is practiced across South Asia and in other regions. WHO describes it as well established and part of the mainstream system of medicine in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka. [1] This page explains how training and registration work in India and Pakistan, as read from the laws and regulators' own pages on 2026-10-22. It does not list, rank or recommend any practitioner, clinic or school, and it is not legal advice. Rules change, so confirm with the regulator named below. For the tradition itself, see Unani Medicine.

What "hakim" or "hakeem" means

Hakim (also spelled hakeem) is the traditional title for a Unani physician. WHO's benchmarks use it for historical and modern Unani physicians. [1] Pakistan's National Council for Tibb also uses "Hakeem" for local traditional practitioners. [2]

The title alone does not tell you whether a person completed a recognized course or is on a register. WHO notes that some people practice Unani medicine with little or no institutional training, and it created a separate training route for them. [1] Ask about registration, not only the title.

The WHO reference point

WHO's 2022 training benchmarks describe several training routes. The main one, for people with no earlier medical training, asks for 12 years of schooling and a minimum of 4,000 student-teacher contact hours or five years of full-time education, including 1,000 hours of supervised clinical training. [1] WHO reviewed 26 countries and found that 8 regulate Unani practitioners. [1] So in many places no regulator stands behind the title.

India

• Law. The National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020 covers Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa. It sets up a Board of Unani, Siddha and Sowa-Rigpa under the National Commission. [3]
• Training length. WHO reports that India has the world's largest number of registered Ayurveda and Unani practitioners with graduate training of more than 5,000 hours. [1] The undergraduate course is known as BUMS (Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery). [1]
• Licence and register. The Act provides that a person with a recognized qualification who passes a common final-year National Exit Test is licensed and enrolled in a State Register and then the National Register. [3] Practitioners already on the earlier central register are treated as registered. [3] The Act sets the Exit Test to start on a date the government notifies, so check its current status.
• Who may practice. Only a person enrolled in the State or National Register may practice as a qualified practitioner of these systems. [3]
• Public check. The Act requires the National Register to be placed on the website of the Board of Ethics and Registration for Indian System of Medicine. [3]
• Medicines. Making Unani drugs requires a licence from State Licensing Authorities under the Drugs Rules, 1945, with good manufacturing practice (Schedule T) and pharmacopoeial standards. [4]

Pakistan

• Law and regulator. The National Council for Tibb was set up under the Unani, Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic Practitioners Act, 1965. It recognizes institutions, works to maintain education standards and registers qualified practitioners. [5]
• Qualifications. The Council's registration page describes registration for holders of the Fazil-ut-Tibb-wal-Jarahat (FTJ) qualification and for holders of the Bachelor in Eastern Medicine System (BEMS). [6] Registration involves submitted documents, a house-job certificate and fees, and it is renewed. [6]
• Check recognition. The Council warns students that a degree program cannot be offered without federal recognition, and tells students and parents to confirm accreditation before admission. [7]
• Registered lists. The Council's website carries a "Registered Tabibs List" page. [8]
• Products. Pakistan's drug regulator, DRAP, enlists alternative medicines, including Unani medicines. DRAP says these are not an alternative to prescribed drugs. [9] The page we read does not describe what checks enlistment involves.

Other countries

WHO's review also mentions Bangladesh, where a 1983 ordinance provides for registering Ayurvedic and Unani practitioners. [1] For Unani practice in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, we did not find a regulator's page confirming a licensed Unani profession, so Proper evidence not found on that point. Rules vary by country, state and province.

How to check someone, without a "near me" list

1. Ask for the person's qualification and registration number, then verify it with the regulator named above or your own country's health authority.
2. Confirm the course was recognized where it was taught.
3. Ask what products they sell or prescribe, what is in them and whether they are licensed or enlisted where you live. See questions to ask before a session and choosing a qualified practitioner.
4. Be wary of anyone who tells you to stop prescribed medicines or promises a cure.

When to start with conventional care

For a new, severe or worsening problem, for pregnancy, for children, or for long-term conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, HIV or cancer, see a licensed physician first. Tell every clinician about every product you use, and never stop a prescribed medicine on a practitioner's advice alone. See coordinating complementary and medical care.