Healthcare Professionals Day in Tajikistan Date in the current year: August 18, 2024

Ibn Sina, also known as Abu Ali Sina or Avicenna, was born circa 980 in a small village near Bukhara. Although his birthplace is located in present-day Uzbekistan, the countries where Avicenna is revered the most are Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan. For example, the Tajik State Medical University in Dushanbe is named after Avicenna, and his portrait is depicted on a 20 somoni banknote.

Avicenna allegedly began to study Quran and literature at the age of five and became a Hafiz (a person who has memorized the entire Quran) by the age of ten. After that, he studied Indian mathematics, Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) and philosophy under different scholars. Avicenna began to study medicine, both theoretically and practically, at the age of 16 and became a qualified physician in just two years. His fame spread quickly throughout the region, and Avicenna treated numerous patients without taking any money from them.

When Avicenna helped amir Nuh II of the Samanids to recover from a dangerous illness, he was appointed as court physician. Following the fall of the Samanid Empire, Avicenna wandered from place to place, seeking a place where his talent would be appreciated and offering his services to various rulers. He spent his final years serving as physician and advisor to Muhammad ibn Rustam Dushmanziyar.

Avicenna is widely regarded as the father of modern medicine both in the East and in the West, largely due to compiling The Canon of Medicine. It is a five-book encyclopedia that systematized the medical knowledge of the medieval Islamic world. It set medical standards in the Islamic world and Medieval Europe and was a standard textbook for European medical students until the 18th century.

The first book of The Canon of Medicine gives a general description of medicine, basic information on human anatomy and physiology, and the explanation of the causes of health and diseases. The second book lists the so-called “simple” substances that were used for medicinal purposes at the time. The third book describes the function and diseases of various organs. The fourth book covers diseases that affect multiple organs or the whole body, such as poisoning or fever. Finally, the fifth book lists compound medicines (as opposed to one-ingredient medicines covered in the second book).

The celebration of Healthcare Professionals Day in Tajikistan was initiated by the country’s healthcare labor unions and the council of the Labor Union Federation of Tajikistan. The parliament declared it an official holiday in 1995. The celebration includes the laying of wreaths and flowers at the Ibn Sina monument in Dushanbe, a special ceremony honoring the country’s most outstanding healthcare professionals organized by the Ministry of Health, smaller ceremonies held at hospitals and other healthcare facilities all over Tajikistan, medical conferences, exhibitions, and more.