DISCUSSION
Homeopaths can prescribe allopathic medicines
The Homeopathic Integrated Medical Practitioners Association, Maharashtra
(HIMPAM) has praised the government’s decision to allow homeopaths to prescribe
allopathic medicines.
HIMPAM representatives pointed out that in many rural areas, homeopaths and
doctors of other disciplines were often the only medical practitioners
available. “The ground realities being what they are, such a move is
necessary to make up for the shortage of doctors and medical facilities in the
rural areas,” said Dr Paresh Navalkar. Of the 26,000 registered in
Maharashtra, 23,000 are in the rural districts.
Dr Navalkar pointed out that certain injuries and illnesses necessarily
require emergency allopathic treatment. “Even things like sutures and IV fluids
are considered as part of allopathy and illegal for us to use,” said Dr Sharad
Rao, Mumbai chairman of HIMPAM.
The state government is planning a six-month training programme with an
examination in allopathic pharmacology for homeopaths to equip themselves to
prescribe medicines. The programme, which is supposed to be a compression of the
usual one-and-a-half year course, is to be held in medical colleges in batches
of a hundred. Training of all the doctors in the exercise is estimated to take
three-and-a-half to four years.
“Anyway we go through the same rigorous four to five-year course as the
allopathic doctors, including one yea of internship at a hospital. Many of the
courses like physiology, surgery and medicine are the same, the only thing
different being the pharmacology course,” Dr Navalkar said.
Doctors said such a move had been recommended by the first conference of
health ministers and secretaries.“Maharashtra is the pioneer state in
implementing the resolution,” Dr Rao said. Dr Navalkar noted that the
committee had also recommended incorporating pharmacological training into the
syllabus of current students.
Asked how the patient would be able to tell that the doctor was qualified, Dr
Navalkar said a certificate would be given to those who had undergone
training.
It’s good we can now prescribe allopathic drugs: homeopaths.The
Times of India,July 8, 1999.
Homeopathy,
allopathy and quackery...
Raj Vaidya
It may be understood that suturing ounds and giving intravenous fluids in
emergencies could be allowed to be done by homeopaths in rural areas, with no
allopath around. However, that does not mean that every homeopath who attends a
six-month crash course in pharmacology should prescribe allopathic medicines,
especially in a city surrounded by allopathic doctors.
Second, many patients who are fed up with allopathic drugs go to homeopaths
for a homeopathic cure. They don’t want to be prescribed the same, allopathic
drugs by a homeopath.
Third, no crash course is going to give homeopaths the same knowledge as
allopaths are given. If homeopathic doctors want to practice allopathy, if they
do not respect homeopathy, they should scrap it altogether, without aspirations
of prescribing allopathy instead.
Recently, I was talking to a second-year student of BHMS. She was thrilled
because they had been told of new government rules permitting them to prescribe
allopathic drugs. Do we want to inculcate this attitude to homeopathy in the new
generation?
Once an exception is made, everybody will want to be included in it.
Homeopathy is a wonderful thing. Do not ruin it.
There is another problem when "doctors" get degrees not from years of hard
work in medical college, but through the post.
For those who cannot get admission to a medical college, there are plenty of
institutes offering diplomas and degrees of all sorts in some form of medicine.
These institutes flourish all over the country. They freely advertise in
newspapers and magazines. You too can buy a degree. And once you set yourself
up, patients will start coming in. You just have to look up a copy of CIMS/MIMS,
and begin prescribing allopathic medicines. You will get bolder with every
prescription you write, and soon enough, you prescribe steroids and hormones,
inject painkillers and vitamins with more confidence than a real doctor. You
practice in villages and slums. Your patients are mostly illiterate, and very
happy with your small fees and the injections of steroids which give them
immediate relief. You soon become popular and get all sorts of cases. A
"gharwali" brings a young girl for an abortion. With a little reference work you
prescribe Cyclenorm EP, and the "ayurvedic" MTP Forte or KP Forte, and you have
"done the job". Soon, you become well-known for this "service" and you dare to
perform MTPs with instruments. In no time you have done such "favours" for the
local policemen, and the local politicians’ "chamchaas".
This story is typical of the lakhs of quacks practicing in our country. No
one has come forward to tackle this serious problem. Government officials can be
expected not to do anything about it, because they have too much political
pressure, and a lack of will.
It is time we acted out of concern for the health of our people. A
professional body or voluntary organisation must take the lead in formulating an
action plan after networking with other medical, para-medical, professional and
consumer organisations. The aim is not to make these quacks jobless, but to
prevent gullible people from falling rey to unqualified treatment.
Raj Vaidya,M.Pharm, Community
Pharmacist, Hindu Pharmacy, Panaji, Goa.
