The Centre is pushing for promotion of homeopathy in collaboration with other countries and within India to popularise this form of medicine.
Speaking at the international convention on Homoeopathy, Minister for AYUSH Shripad Naik said the potential of homoeopathy has largely remained unexplored and under-utilised in the public health system. This despite the fact that homoeopathy is practised in more than 80 countries and is known to be effective in various communicable and non-communicable diseases, chronic diseases and diseases of children and mothers, the Minister said.
The two-day convention is being organised to commemorate the 261st birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy, Dr Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, who was also a great scholar, linguist and acclaimed scientist. During the discussions, experts will deliberate on different scenarios of homoeopathy in India and other countries, including developing strategies for formulating national policies, high-quality medical education, evidence based clinical practice and to promote appropriate integration of homoeopathy with the health care system.
Noting that India has made significant progress in developing homoeopathy, Naik said the country is a major contributor to its research. “The work of Indian homoeopathy researchers is often cited by many international researchers and these works range from basic research studies on in-vitro and in-vivo models of cell lines, quantum physics, nanoscience to clinical research in diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, tuberculosis and urolithiasis,” he said.
The Minister said that India had an extensive meetings and deliberations on AYUSH with a number of countries at the international level. India recently hosted a delegation from the United States of America to discuss the modalities of integrating AYUSH systems in cancer care. He added AYUSH information cells have been set up at the Indian embassies and consulates in Beijing, Stockholm, latvia, Dubai and Croatia and the country is in the process of forming a chair of Homoeopathy at Yerevan State Medical University, Armenia. The AYUSH Chairs are established in the foreign universities, in consultation with Indian Missions to promote academic and collaborative research activities on AYUSH Systems abroad.
India has also signed Memoranda of Understanding with Sri lanka, Mexico, Cuba, Nepal, Mauritius and Mongolia. Besides MoU on cooperation in research and education has been signed between the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) and Royal london Hospital for Integrated Medicine.
Representatives from several countries, including Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Italy, Netherlands, UK, Austria, Armenia, Canada, Israel, Australia, Bangladesh, Japan, France, UAE, Cuba, Nepal, Turkey, Argentina, Slovenia, Pakistan, Ghana and Kenya, are participating in the convention. Health Ministers of Bangladesh and Nepal and those of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka are also taking part. Homoeopathy, in India, is well institutionalised with 212 Homoeopathic hospitals and more than 8,000 Homoeopathic dispensaries. There are about three lakh Homoeopathy practitioners in India besides 195 undergraduate and 40 post-graduation medical colleges and the National Institute of Homoeopathy.