DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRAINING OF TIBB DOCTORS IN SOUTH AFRICA

The training of doctors in Tibb, was introduced in South Africa by the Ibn Sina Institute of Tibb after obtaining academic support from universities in India and Pakistan, where this system is taught and practiced under the name of Unani Medicine. Within the context of the South African Western environment, and the medical approaches in the country, the Institute identified concerns with respect to the training of Unani Medicine. In this paper, an overview is provided on the Institutes contribution with regards to addressing some of the concerns as well as the extensive research projects conducted between 2003 and 2020 that contributed positively to the philosophical principles of physis, temperament, humours, and lifestyle factors, in the training of Tibb doctors. This paper further details a sequence of events for the training of Tibb doctors at the University of the Western Cape that commenced in 2003, after having obtained formal recognition of Tibb (Unani-Tibb) with the Allied Health Professions Council of South Africa (AHPCSA) in 2001. Also, included are the number of students who completed the 1-year Postgraduate Diploma and the 5-year Undergraduate Degree between 2003 and 2007 and the three (3) reviews of the training curriculum. Unfortunately, the events also include the political and vested interests from other professions in the AHPCSA that had a negative effect on the training of Tibb in South Africa, and therefore the Institute is willing to share the Tibb training of doctors with universities globally.