World Homeopathy Day 2022: The day marks the significance of homoeopathy and its contribution in treating many diseases in a holistic way. The day is celebrated on Dr Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann’s birth anniversary, a German physician and founding father of homoeopathy medicine, born in Germany in 1755.
Apart from honouring the founder, the day also gives people an opportunity to understand the possibilities of this branch of medicine. The world is witnessing the role of homoeopathy in management of the current pandemic, Covid-19. Celebrating the day provides and opportunity to the economic policy makers to think about steps which can promote this affordable medical science and help build its infrastructure in India. The National Commission for Homeopathy (NCH) is in the process of developing steps for revamping the system with quality education and practice such as the founder dreamed about.
To bring about standardization and good governance as mandate the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) has been constituted by an act of Indian Parliament known as “The National Commission for Homoeopathy Act, 2020” with effect from 05.07.2021. Alongside making self-reliant professionals through skill-based education, the Education Board of the Commission has a great role by defining the standards of education, framing guidelines, and determining minimum requirements for medical institutions.
Education policy
National Health Policy 2020, the first education policy of the 21st century, recommends that medical education be integrated with the service delivery system, so that students learn in the real environment and not just in the confines of the medical school. NCH has initiated steps for revamping the existing parameters for imparting quality education in Homeopathy.
As a first step, the Commission initiated the process of collecting feedback on the proposed changes in existing Minimum Standards for homeopathic medical colleges and hospitals with all stakeholders for easy implementation of these changes.
Competency Based Dynamic Curriculum
The Commission has decided to adopt Competency Based Dynamic Curriculum (CBDC), a renewed approach that promotes learner rediness, in the curriculum for Undergraduate and Post Graduate courses in Homeopathy Medical Colleges across the country. Introduction of this new teaching and evaluation approach will ensure the availability of well-qualified practitioners.
Elective subjects
By introducing ‘elective subjects’ into undergraduate curriculum, homoeopathy education institutions will provide opportunity for students to get introduced to various allied subjects. Learning such allied health related topics generates practitioners trained in other systems of medicine.
Medical Education Technology Department
Introduction of medical education technology as a separate department for both graduate and post graduate levels will integrate learning resources for better perception and performance. The goal is to improvise the quality of education by training the teachers. Secondly, new the method will create better performance of students and update knowledge using modern information and research methodology.
Research Methodology Department
The goals is to develop a basic understanding of qualitative and quantitative research designs in clinical context and ow to draft a research proposal. The syllabus will include basics of bio-statistics and other principles of bio-medical research.
Counseling for admissions
Now, students who qualify NEET will get the opportunity to secure a seat at any homoeopathy medical colleges in any state. The Commission is conducting entrance examination at the all India level for undergraduate and postgraduate admissions.
National Teacher Eligibility Test
The outcome of an education imparted by an unskilled teacher can have its far reaching and diverse effects on the students. A poor performance of homeopathy practice has its roots in the inappropriate handling of its key functionaries like teachers. Thus, the Commission’s decided on a National Teacher Eligibility Test to ensure the quality of faculty.
New Initiatives
For exploring the potential areas of homeopathy in prevention and treatment for communicable disease, the post graduate degree will be implemented in Community Medicine. In consultation with experts the Commission is also planning to develop MD in Obstetrics & Gynaecology and Dermatology.
The Commission is also looking forward to developing benchmarks for homeopathy for including it in the WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014–2023. This will become a platform for recognizing levels of education, accreditation, and regulation of homeopathy practitioners across the globe.
Expectations and outcomes
New approaches will cater to the professional development requirements of teachers and guide students to access a variety of diverse resources, audio-visual and experiential in nature. By adopting innovative curriculum they hope to usher a new era that will generate quality service from future professionals. Current educational reforms in homeopathic education will create a definite role in raising competent professionals without compromising the principles of homoeopathy.
What is the planning about research in Homeopathy? Is there any lab settings where scientist can study the effect of homeo remedies like in modern medicine? Proving on healthy human being is one aspect, but we should also start study of homeo remedies in lab, e.g. after giving Sepia or Puls to a person, how his hormonal system react, or how a remedy effect our immune system, so we can give evidence based proof to medical scientific world that how our medicines act.