Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery

BUMS Full Form in English, letter by letter

BUMS is Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery, a 5.5-year undergraduate degree in the Unani system under India's Ministry of Ayush.

BUMS Full Form in Indian Languages

Unani medicine has its own undergraduate degree, BUMS, Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery, taken by those who train as Unani doctors, known in India as hakeems. Here is the course, and the name in six Indian languages.

BUMS Full Form and Where the Degree Fits

The BUMS full form is Bachelor of Unani Medicine and Surgery, the first professional degree in the Unani system. Unani is one of the Indian systems of medicine recognised by the Government of India alongside Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Siddha, Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy, together grouped under the Ministry of Ayush.

It is a complete medical degree within its own system, not a route into modern medicine. A graduate may diagnose, prescribe and run a practice within Unani, but the degree does not by itself authorise prescribing allopathic drugs.

Education and practice are regulated by the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), which was set up under the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine Act, 2020 and replaced the Central Council of Indian Medicine.

The Roots of Unani: Hippocrates to Ibn Sina

Unani is the Arabic and Persian branch of Greek medicine. Hippocratic and Galenic writings were translated into Arabic and developed by physicians such as al-Razi, known in the West as Rhazes, and Ibn Sina, or Avicenna, whose Canon of Medicine was a standard textbook for centuries.

The system came to India with Arab and Persian physicians in the medieval period and flourished under later dynasties, including the Mughals. In recent history, Hakim Ajmal Khan and Hakim Abdul Hameed, founder of Hamdard, drove the revival of Unani education and institutions.

Unani theory rests on the four humours: blood (dam), phlegm (balgham), yellow bile (safra) and black bile (sauda). It also uses temperament (mizaj), which a practitioner assesses when choosing a treatment.

Course Length, Eligibility and Admission

The programme runs four and a half years of study followed by a one-year compulsory internship, about five and a half years in all, the same structure as other AYUSH undergraduate degrees such as BAMS.

Eligibility is Class 12 with Physics, Chemistry and Biology, generally with at least 50 per cent marks (a lower percentage for reserved categories), and a qualifying score in NEET-UG. Knowledge of Urdu has been listed as a requirement or a preference in some admission rules, so read the current NCISM and state notification.

Seats in government and private Unani colleges are filled through counselling based on NEET-UG scores. Check that a college is approved by NCISM, since a brochure's claims do not replace the approval.

What You Study: Unani Subjects and Their Arabic Names

The syllabus pairs Unani theory with modern biomedical science. Core Unani papers include Kulliyat (basic principles), Tashreeh (anatomy), Ilmul Advia (pharmacology), Moalejat (general medicine), Jarahat (surgery), Ilaj-bit-Tadbeer (regimenal therapy), Amraz-e-Niswan (gynaecology) and Ilmul Atfal (paediatrics).

Alongside these are physiology, pathology, microbiology and community medicine, so that graduates can read modern investigations as well as classical texts. Urdu and Arabic are taught in some curricula because many classical works are written in them.

Practical training covers the regimenal therapies Unani is known for, such as diet therapy, massage, cupping and leech therapy, with clinical postings in Unani hospitals where patients are seen under supervision.

After BUMS: Registration, MD and Practice

Graduates can register with the state board of Unani medicine and practise as Unani practitioners in state AYUSH departments, government Unani hospitals and dispensaries, Ayush wellness centres, or their own clinics.

MD in Unani, a three-year postgraduate degree, is the route to specialisation in subjects such as Moalejat and Ilaj-bit-Tadbeer, and to teaching posts in AYUSH colleges.

Research bodies such as the Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) and Unani pharmaceutical companies also employ graduates, and a postgraduate degree opens recruitment notices that require it.

Scope, Limits and Things to Check

The scope of practice differs from state to state, and court cases and state rules have repeatedly dealt with how far AYUSH practitioners may use modern drugs. Before you rely on any claim about what a BUMS doctor may prescribe, read your state's rules on the practice of Indian systems of medicine.

Choose a college with a working teaching hospital and enough patients, because clinical experience is what makes a practitioner. Ask about the internship, the pass rates of the last batches and the stipend for interns, and verify the approval on the NCISM website before paying any fee.

BUMS opens the way into a medical tradition practised in India for centuries and still supported by government hospitals and research bodies. Confirm NCISM approval and the NEET counselling route before you join a college.

BUMS Full Form: Common Questions