10/03/2026
Lahore: The Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) convened a high-level consultative meeting on 5 March 2026 with the leadership of the National Council for Tibb (NCT) and the National Council for Homoeopathy (NCH) to review the regulatory frameworks governing traditional systems of medicine and to enhance the quality and safety of healthcare services.
The meeting was chaired by the Chief Executive Officer of PHC, Dr. Muhammad Saqib Aziz, and was attended by President National Council for Tibb Hakeem Muhammad Ahmad Saleemi, President National Council for Homoeopathy Homoeopathic Doctor Rao Ghulam Murtaza, Director Clinical Governance PHC Dr. Mushtaq Ahmed Salariya, Director Inspections PHC Dr. Shafqat Ijaz, Chairman Information and Publications Hakeem Zulfiqar Malik, Coordinator to the President NCT Hakeem Muhammad Ali Shair, Acting Principal Tibia College Himayat-e-Islam Lahore Hakeem Dr. Hafiz Sajid, AD Tibb PHC Hakeem Farooq Hassan, Homoeopathic Doctor Muhammad Amin and other stakeholders.
Welcoming the participants, CEO PHC Dr. Muhammad Saqib Aziz noted that Tibb-e-Unani and Homoeopathy serve a significant segment of the population in Pakistan. However, he observed that the data regarding practitioners and service utilization remains under-represented in national health statistics. He emphasized the need for effective regulatory mechanisms, reliable data collection, and alignment with contemporary quality and patient-safety standards.
Speaking on the occasion, President National Council for Tibb, Hakeem Muhammad Ahmad Saleemi, highlighted the historical and practical importance of Tibb-e-Unani as a widely practiced traditional system of medicine in Pakistan. He emphasized that the system continues to serve millions of patients across the country and plays a vital role in providing accessible and affordable healthcare.
Hakeem Saleemi informed the participants that the National Council for Tibb has recently undertaken significant curriculum reforms, incorporating evidence-based interventions with established efficacy to strengthen academic and clinical training. He further stated that updated data on registered practitioners, revised curricula, and the professional code of ethics are available on the Council’s official website, ensuring transparency and improved professional standards.
He also briefed the forum on several landmark initiatives. Hakeem Saleemi announced the launch of Pakistan's first Unani journal, the “Pakistan Journal of Unani Medicine,” noting that its inaugural volume has already been published on the NCT website. This initiative to promote scholarly work was highly appreciated by the Chief Executive Officer of PHC, Dr. Muhammad Saqib Aziz.
Furthermore, Hakeem Saleemi informed the participants about the approval of a new “Research Collaboration Regulation 2026” by the NCT. This regulation is designed to foster research and bridge the longstanding gap between research institutes and the industry. He also shared the significant progress on the National Unani Pharmacopoeia, which has been formally drafted by the NCT to establish standardized guidelines for Unani formulations. The draft has been officially recommended to the Ministry of NHSR&C for its review and final notification.
He stressed the importance of aligning educational and clinical practices of Tibb-e-Unani with modern regulatory requirements while preserving its traditional foundations. According to him, compliance with the Minimum Service Delivery Standards (MSDS) set by PHC will help enhance patient safety, strengthen institutional credibility, and improve the quality of services delivered by practitioners of traditional medicine.
During the meeting, the Director Clinical Governance PHC outlined the objectives of the consultation and emphasized the need to clearly define the clinical competencies and scope of practice of FTJ/DHMS and BEMS/BHMS to ensure compliance with statutory and professional standards.
Following detailed deliberations, the participants agreed to incorporate a dedicated module on the healthcare regulatory framework into the academic curricula of traditional medical education. The meeting also highlighted the importance of evidence-based practice in improving service quality, strengthening patient safety, and achieving better healthcare outcomes.
The participants reaffirmed their collective commitment to promoting Tibb-e-Unani and Homoeopathy in line with modern regulatory standards and evolving healthcare needs while safeguarding patient interests.
In his concluding remarks, Dr. Saqib Aziz emphasized that the credibility and growth of traditional medicine systems depend on systematic documentation and reliable data collection. He encouraged the Councils to advocate for the inclusion of practitioners of alternative medicine in national health databases, which would support evidence-based policy making and the sustainable development of Pakistan’s healthcare system.
Towards the end of the session, President NCT Hakeem Muhammad Ahmad Saleemi presented a proposal for the official recognition of NCT-licensed practitioners (FTJ/BEMS) to be incorporated into the human resource framework of the PHC, specifically requesting that such positions in the Commission must mention these qualifications in their advertisements publicly.
