No allopathy in homoeo courses

Hyderabad: To introduce allopathy subjects in the homoeopathy syllabus would amount to “killing the field of medicine,” say doctors of the Andhra Pradesh Homoeopathy Association. They hailed the decision of the Central Council of Homoeopathy.

The Central Council of Homoeopathy said on Tuesday that it would not allow introduction of allopathy subjects in the syllabus of homoeopathy colleges of the country.

CCH is a statutory apex body under the ministry of health & family welfare.

“There had been demands from the homoeopathy doctors for the introduction of an integrated course on allopathy so that they can later practice allopathy as well. They had also demanded that those who have completed homoeopathy degree course, should be allowed to do a short-term allopathy course. That is not possible,” said CCH chief Ramjee Singh.

The demand to introduce allopathy subjects in homoeopathy syllabus has been raised mainly by doctors from Maharashtra.

In Maharashtra, there are 50 homoeopathy colleges and most of the doctors have been practicing both homeopathy and allopathy. Doctors from APHA say  that the situation in Maharashtra must not be equated to that of the country.

As most of them operate in rural areas, they feel the need to have a knowledge of allopathy too.

Dr K. Gopala Krishna, vice-president of APHA said, “During critical times, the homoeopathy doctor has to push the patient towards allopathic treatment and hence this demand has come up. But it is not fair. The doctors must practise the stream that they have studied as there is very good potential. If doctors talk like this how will patients have faith in the stream?”

The situation in Andhra Pradesh is different as there are only very few pockets where this problem exists. With only four medical colleges and a good infrastructure for care, there is not much agitation amongst the doctors here.

Dr K. Srinivas, member of the association explained, “The council has taken the right step as in the beginning young doctors often tend to falter. And there is too much flip-flop happening. If a green signal is given, young doctors will not take the pains to practise the system and will simply switch.”

In a bid to strengthen the course, the council will inspect 102 homoeopathy medical colleges and ascertain the availability of teachers, equipment, accommodation, training and other facilities as specified under homoeopathy regulations. Steps are also being taken to regulate the functioning and also standardising the education system.

Dr Satyaprasad, a retired professor, said that allopathy medicines contained material concept and energy. He said both homoeopathy and allopathy had their own values, but the result depended on the best usage of the medicines. He added that some allopathy doctors also preferred homoeopathy as they believe that it gave the best results for some ailments.

Dr Dodda Subba Reddy, medical officer of Dr Gururaj Govt Homoeopathy College, Gudivada said that it would be better for homoeopathy doctors to know of allopathy. If a patient approached a homoeopathy doctor he could  decide on the treatment or refer him to allopathy if he had the knowledge.

Dr M.D. Srinivas, meanwhile, opined that there should not be mixing of allopathy with homoeopathy. He said homoeopathy had it's own value and it would be better for doctors to practice in their familiar subjects rather than opting for allopathy. He said if allopathy entered homoeopathy, then homoeopathy would not be within the reach of the common man as already corporates were entering the sector.

Dr Raja Suresh: There is nothing wrong in having an integrated course for allopathy  and homoeopathy as long as the course is full-fledged and is of five-and-half-year duration. Having a short-term course separately for  allopathy is not sensible and will not serve any purpose.

Dr V. Babitha: It is not advisable to start such an integrated course as students cannot focus on two altogether different branches of medicine and most of the students will end up not having a strong command on either of the branches. There should be different courses for different branches of medicine which will ensure a higher success rate of patients getting cured by efficient doctors."