Hamdard: A success story

The Unani system of medicine owes, as its name suggests, its origin to Greece and though its theoretical framework is based on the teachings of Hippocrates and Galen it was developed into an elaborate medical system by the Arabs who gave it a scientific base.
Muslim medical scientists Gaber, Rhazes, Alhezen and Avecinna made great contribution to the enrichment of Unani Medicine. This system also got enriched by imbibing from what was best in the contemporary systems of traditional medicine in China, Egypt, India, Iraq, Persia, Syria and other middle and far eastern countries.
Wherever it went it benefited and absorbed what was best from the native medical systems in vogue at that time in various parts of Asia, and added much to its vast repertory. This process of enrichment continues even today.
The Unani physicians, who settled in India, subjected new drugs to clinical tests and as a result of their experimentation added numerous new native drugs to this system.
They also set up Dawakhanas in various parts of subcontinent of Indo-Pak. It was because of the vast wealth of knowledge and heritage that Unani system of medicine found immediate favour with the masses, spread all over the country and continued to hold an unchallenged position for centuries.
Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed was one of those Unani Physicians, who played a role in giving new life to Unani Medicine, because the time, when he was born, was not in favour of this system. The colonial rulers of India in their vested interests had tried their level best to take this system by the throat in order to flourish Western Medicine in India.
In 1906, Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed started a tiny clinic of Unani Medicine in one of the bylanes of Old Delhi, India. He called it "Hamdard" meaning sympathy for all and the sharing of pain. Despite the paucity of resources, he set the aims of Hamdard high and that is:
-- To preserve and promote the Unani Medicine as a science.
-- To establish the principles of pharmacy and its furtherance and standardisation.
-- To supply economically the standard pharmaceuticals.
-- To teach and publicise principles of health, hygiene and medical science, and to serve the people selflessly.
Hakim Hafiz Abdul Majeed did not live long to see the seeding of Hamdard to grow into a full statured tree. He died in 1922 at the age of 40. His two great sons, Hakim Abdul Hameed and Hakim Mohammed Said worked unremittingly to bring Hamdard to what it is today.
Hakim Mohammed Said became Hafiz-e-Quran in his childhood. He also learnt Arabic and Persian from noted teachers. He passed his final examination of Tibb from Tibbiya College, Delhi in 1939. In collaboration with his elder brother Hakim Abdul Hameed, he helped in the building of Hamdard, a medical and research and humanitarian organisation.
After partition of subcontinent of Indo-Pak, Hakim Mohammed Said migrated to Pakistan empty handed. He himself described:
"I have always shunned politics. I never joined any political party. But I was a sincere supporter of the Pakistan Movement. After the establishment of Pakistan, I felt that my sympathies and loyalties should be directed towards Pakistan. Since Hamdard Trust had been established in India, I thought it would not be correct, on principle, to transfer the Hamdard Trust (India) funds to Pakistan".
Hakim Mohammed Said came over to Pakistan in January 1948, almost devoid of funds, and for seven months suffered deprivation and disappointment. Finally silver lining in his clouds of despair, appeared, and he was able to obtain a small room on a rent of Rupees fifty per month, with hired furniture at twelve and a half rupees per month.
Thus Hamdard Pakistan was established at Awan Lodge, Aram Bagh Road, Karachi, owned by a noble Parsi, Mr Eduljee Dinshaw. Meanwhile another noble Parsi and a prominent figure of Parsi community, Mr Jamshed Nusserwanji Mehta had arranged a spacious premises in front of Awan Lodge for Hakim Mohammed Said. He moved into that premises and established his first clinic and pharmacy there.
The Hamdard Dawakhana was inaugurated by the then Sindh Education Minister Pir Ilahi Bukhsh on June 03, 1948. Inspired by the ideal of reviving Unani Medicine he set to work in his clinic. To his great surprise, patients used to come in his clinic in large number and their number increased day by day.
Later on Hakim Mohammed Said shifted his pharmacy to a place situated at Lea Market, Karachi, and established a small factory there to prepare 'Rooh Afza' syrup and Hamdard medicines. Within no time Hamdard medicines and 'Rooh Afza' became popular and their demand increased rapidly.
Keeping in view the ever-growing demand of Hamdard products and medicines particularly of Rooh Afza, it became necessary to have a big place for their preparation. Therefore, a piece of land was acquired at Nazimabad, Karachi. The foundation stone of Hamdard's first factory was laid by the ambassador of Egypt to Pakistan H.E. Abdul Wahab Azzam in 1952 and the construction of the factory was completed in 1953. Simultaneously building of Al-Majeed Hamdard Centre was also constructed, facing Hamdard factory to house Hamdard's offices.
At the time when Hamdard's Enterprise became a lucrative business and Hamdard Industry a viable proposition, Hakim Mohammed Said declared it a Waqf unto Almighty Allah on 1st April 1953.
Hitherto, the industry and entire business had been the personal property of Hakim Mohammed Said. According to this decision, the profits accruing to Hamdard Industry were to be spent entirely on welfare work, chiefly on the development of education, science and culture. Hakim Mohammed Said appointed trustees of Hamdard (Waqf) and presided over its first meeting as a Chief Trustee.
The difference between a Trust and an Islamic Waqf must be emphasised. A trust, by definition, is revocable while an Islamic Waqf, by definition, is absolutely irrevocable.
The first objective of Hamdard to preserve and promote the Unani Medicine was never out of sight of Hakim Mohammed Said. He did a lot to promote, develop and modernise Unani Medicine. In this connection he established Hamdard Tibbia College at Karachi and got it inaugurated by Mader-e-Millat Mohtarama Fatima Jinnah on 14th October 1958. He established Health and Tibbi Research Centre at Karachi.
The foundation stone of Centre was laid by Field Marshal Mohammed Ayub Khan, President, Islamic Republic of Pakistan on 3rd December 1966. The founding of the Institute was Hamdard's pioneer work for the promotion of Unani medicine through the modern scientific research and also produced a forum for Tibb practitioners to up date their knowledge.
Hakim Mohammed Said formed a body namely "The Society for the Promotion of Eastern Medicine (SPEM) in 1958 to promote the Eastern Medicine. He led a delegation of the society, comprising two hakims, two allopathic doctors and one journalist, to China in 1963 on the behest of Field Marshal Muhammad Ayub Khan, President, Islamic Republic of Pakistan in order to bring Pakistan and China closer together. Thus: Pak-China friendship was started on public level as a result of this visit to China by an Hamdard delegation.
Since works for the welfare and social uplift of the people could not be done adequately without proper organisational set up, Hakim Mohammed Said established Hamdard Foundation Pakistan at Karachi on 1st January 1964.
After the formation of Hamdard Foundation Pakistan, Hamdard pharmaceutical industry was named after "Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) Pakistan.
Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf)'s central structure is based in Karachi. It consists of two pharmaceutical manufacturing units, one at Nazimabad and the other on Madinat al-Hikmah Road. The second is a largest manufacturing unit, called Hamdard Industrial Complex (Hamdard's new factory). Both units have modern machinery well equipped with automatic manufacturing plants and quality control laboratories.
The Hamdard Industrial Complex (HIC) is consisted of a well-built building and state-of-the-art machinery spreaded on vast area measuring 32,000 square feet. HIC has been designed to meet the requirements of future expansion of Hamdard industry. In addition, Hamdard Laboratories have modern automatic manufacturing plants at Lahore and Peshawar.
Hamdard has played a pivotal role in making Unani medicines accessible to common man of Pakistan by creating a network of sales centers countrywide. It established its Clinics in Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan, Sukkur, Peshawar and Hyderabad, where besides, Zonal offices and sales centers, free professional services are rendered to thousands of patients.
The management of Hamdard and its other colleagues take great pride in providing the people with first-rate medicines at reasonable prices to serve the needs of them. Hamdard's fast-growing popularity is an evidence that people have faith in Unani medicines.
These medicines suit to their temperament. Enjoying the confidence of the common people, Unani Medicine's revival needs to be based on modern scientific pattern. Hamdard accepted this responsibility and challenge. Right from the start Hamdard was convinced that working blindly along the old lines was useless. A broader outlook was necessary for UM's survival.
The doors of research had been closed for the Unani System. Hamdard came forward to knock on these doors and opened them and entered into an expansive world of discovery and research.
Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) is pioneer of modernisation and standardisation of the Unani Medicine. The dedication to the cause of promoting Unani Medicine or Herbal Medicine is Hamdard's distinctive quality and Hamdard left no stone unturned to maintain this quality. Hamdard has further distinguished itself by applying Good Manufacturing Process (GMP) in its program so as to produce quality products and medicines to cure diseases.
To give modern look and scientific base to Unani medicines, Hamdard after a good deal research, collected widely recognised formulations, standardised them and arranged them in proper order. Hamdard have set up testing laboratories with modern scientific equipment's, run by qualified experts and introduced quality control system in its manufacturing units and strictly adhered to it. "Quality at all costs", it is not only the slogan of Hamdard but also its basic policy.
The Unani medicines were commonly used in the form of raw herbs such as "Joshanda" and "Chooran" etc, Hamdard changed this system. For instance, it changed "Joshanda" into "Joshina" in granules and "Chooran" into tablet form as "Carmina" and "Hazmeena".
It changed other Unani crude medicines into sugar coated tablets, syrup and granulate forms and presented them in blister packing. Hamdard used coloured and transparent glass bottles according to their technical need. Having doing so Hamdard strictly followed World Health Organisation Guidelines for Traditional medicines standardisation and quality control and applied test methods, given in the guidelines.
Each and every medicine and product of Hamdard Laboratories is prepared just according to its parameter and Tibbi Pharmacopoeia. Nothing is kept secret. Composition, ingredients, indications, dosage, cautions, batch number, manufacturing date and price are given on boxes of medicines. No hands are used in preparation of medicines and products, even in packing and filling. Most of the manufacturing work is done by automation. Manual work is reducing day by day and automatic machinery is taking its place.
The quality control department of Hamdard Laboratories keeps a vigilant eye on quality control of Hamdard medicines and products. They never let any medicine or product to go if they find it even slightly below the standard of quality, set by the Hamdard. From raw materials to the finished products a check is maintained at each step of manufacturing. Every effort is made to see that a medicine from its raw form to the time when it is taken by a patient does not loose its useful properties or become substandard.
Dr Navaid ul Zafar, who is a Ph.D in Pharmacology, after becoming the Managing Director, Hamdard Laboratories (Waqf) on 6 April 1993 took keen interest in maintaining the standard of Hamdard medicines and products, particularly the highest standard of Rooh Afza, the star product of Hamdard. Being a pharmacologist, he has capability and expertise in assessment the quality of medicines and products.
He never allowed any sub standard material to be used and financial considerations to come in the way of maintaining the highest standard. This is the reason why Hamdard medicines and products are used with such great trust and Rooh Afza as a soft drink is the first choice of the people in the country and abroad.
Dr Navaidul Zafar introduced Rooh Afza's new PET bottle of 800 ml in April 2001 to make handling of Rooh Afza more easier and comfortable. Because POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) is an unbreakable material. Moreover PET does not put any affect on colour, taste and smell of any substance packed in it. New and special cap of PET bottle is not only attractive but also keeps the syrup, packed in bottle, fully preserved. It does not let syrup to leak and its valuable extracts (Araquiat) to evaporate. Consumers favour this change and like Rooh Afza's new PET BOTTLE.