(4) A central model teaching institution should be established for the training of under-graduates and of post-graduates in Homoeopathy.
(5) With regard to training in Homoeopathy it was recommended that there should be a single course of training, namely the University (Degree) course and the minimum qualification for admission to the course should be the same as laid down by the Indian Universities in respect of the regular system of medicine. The College course should be of the same standard as laid down by the Indian Universities and the duration of the course should be five academic years.
(a) Four homoeopathic members of the Committee consider that there should be a Diploma Course of four years in addition to the University course.
(b) Five homoeopathic members consider that homoeopathic subjects should be taught from the very first year while the other thinks that it should be taught from the second year. It is recommended that the homoeopathic subjects should be taught from the very first year.
(6) Provision of facilities in recognised institutions for Homoeopathic Researches.
(7) Adequate number of homoeopathic hospitals and dispensaries under the charge of homoeopathic doctors possessing prescribed qualifications should be established. Pharmacies and organisations concerned with the preparation and manufacture of homoeopathic drugs in India should be placed on a proper footing and government should assume the authority to intervene in cases of lowering down of standards, adulteration of drugs, bad dispensing etc.
(8) Govt. should provide facilities for training in homoeopathy in order to give Homoeopathy a chance to evolve its own genius.
(9) It is recommended that effect may be given to the above recommendations as early as possible.
The Homoeopathic profession waited for the reaction of the Central Government to the Report of the Homoeopathic Enquiry Committee. In the event of the Ministry of Health keeping silent over the matter, a deputation of representatives of the All India Institute of Homoeopathy waited upon the Honble Rajkumari Amrita Kaur on 11-4-50 and arising out of the discussions a memorandum was submitted to her. The important item in the said memorandum was the acceptance by the deputationists of the proposal that the preclinical portions of the teaching of Homoeopathy (Anatomy, Physiology and Pharmacology) should for an inferior period be conducted in Allopathic institutions, with certain provisions and safeguards. But the clinical portion should be taught in separate Homoeopathic institutions. This memorandum was subsequently ratified by the General Council State Faculty of Homoeopathic Medicine, West Bengal.
In the meantime the Health Ministers Conference under the Chairmanship of the Honble Rajkumari kaur (Minister for Health Govt. of India) was being periodically held; and in the third Health Minister Conference held at New Delhi (Aug. Sept. 1950) accepted the recommendations of the Homoeopathic Enquiry Committee with slight modifications. But the Ministry of Health postponed the consideration of the Homoeopathic Enquiry Committee Report as well as of the resolutions and recommendation of the Third Health Ministers Conference with regard to Homoeopathy, till it received the opinion of the Medical Council of India.
The Medical Council of India took long to treat and discuss the matter. In its meeting held on the 19th and the 20th April 1952 resolutions were passed that (1) there should be “only one system of medicine in India, namely the modern system, with a minimum uniform standard as prescribed by the Council”; and (2) that the study of indigenous systems and of homoeopathy should, therefore, be promoted only at post-graduate course of training after the intending practitioner has obtained basic qualifications in modern medicine as in the case in respect of homoeopathy in the United Kingdom, Europe and America.
It is evident that the opinion of the Medical Council of India is virtually a confirmation of the discussion notes of the two allopathic members of the Homoeopathic Enquiry Committee.
Soon after the publication of the resolutions of the M.C.I., the Homoeopathic State faculty of West Bengal took up the matter and in one of its general council meeting the whole subject was discussed thread-bare and certain resolutions were passed condemning the decision of the M.C.I., and exposing the fallacies and absurdities implicit in their resolutions.
The General council of the Homoeopathic State faculty, also passed a resolution to publish a brochure giving the details of the present status of Homoeopathy vis-a-vis the Central and Provincial Governments of India, the main recommendations of the H.E.C. Report, the publication of the M.C.I. resolution passed in their general council meeting as published in the news press, and the resolutions passed by the Third Health Ministers Conference and the resolution passed by the General Council of the Homoeopathic State faculty, West Bengal at its meeting held on 1-5-52. The proposed brochure was published by the Registrar, Homoeopathic State faculty, W.B. and was circulated amongst the members of the Parliament, State Legislatures and the General Public.
The Homoeopathic State faculty, W.B. sent a body of deputationists to wait on the Health Minister, Govt. of India on 17-6-52 to have a frank discussion regarding the situation created by the passing of such a resolution by M.C.I. and also very anomalous impasse created by the Govt. of West Bengal by not accepting the certificates issued by the Homoeopathic practitioners holding the “D.M.S.” diploma granted by the General Council and State faculty of Homoeopathic medicine, West Bengal.
The Health Minister promised to look into the matter of rights and privileges to be enjoyed by other qualified Homoeopathic practitioners; and asked the Director-General of Health Services to form a small committee to which she wanted our co-operation to device ways and means to evolve a scheme of teaching Homoeopathy in an under-graduate course wherein the students will have the fullest scope of learning the principle and practice of Homoeopathy as well as of acquiring the fundamental knowledge in the ancillary sciences satellite to Medicine and considered to be indispensable in the make-up of a complete physician. The general impression that was gathered at that interview was that the Health Minister had not yet come to any final decision regarding Homoeopathy but the Medical Directorate was trying to implement the recommendations of the M.C.I. and to put all sorts of all impediments to reach our goal.
The deputationists told the Health Minister about the publication of the brochure “The case for Homoeopathy” (copies of which were handed over to Rajkumariji and the D.G.H.S.) and about our future plan of enlightening the members of the Parliament, State Legislatures and the General Public with our view points to bring pressure upon the Govt. of India for the good of the suffering public of our country.
The Health Minister acquiesced that there was nothing wrong in the exercise of this, our democratic right to create and organise public opinion in our favour. Arising out of a reference made by the D.G.H.S. with regard to the present position of Homoeopathy in U.S.A. Dr. B.K. Sarkar one of the deputationists handed over to him two copies of the Journal of the American Institute of Homoeopathy (January 1951 and April 1952 issues) wherein articles were published by leading American Homoeopaths, deprecating the methods of teaching Homoeopathy in a common medical institution or as an elective course in such institutions and urging the necessity of reviving the old four-years-course Homoeopathic Colleges for under-graduate study instead of teaching Homoeopathy only at a post-graduate level.
In the meantime The Planning Commission was busy in drafting the five-years planning scheme. The Commission invited a few leading Homoeopaths of India to discuss about the ways and means to improve the condition of training and practice of Homoeopathy in the country. In their report they put in.
Sec. 87. With regard to Homoeopathy the proposals of the representatives of the profession appear to be reasonable and are, in the main, as follow:- (1) A Central Council of Homoeopathic Medicine may be formed. (2) Suitable Colleges among the existing ones may be upgraded and standardised and the question of starting new institutions may also he considered.
(3) The Course in the College may be common during first two years and students will then learn homoeopathic philosophy, Materia medica and therapeutics and allied subjects in 3 years.
(4) Facilities for homoeopathic research may be provided.
(5) A central homoeopathic drug manufactory and laboratory for standardisation of drugs may be opened at Lucknow.
Sec. 92. Homoeopathic medicines are not prepared according to well-known pharmacopeal methods. Moreover, these drugs are used in such diluted forms that they cannot be tested or standardised by any known chemical process. The only precaution that could be taken is to allow the manufacture and preparation in bonded laboratories under the supervision of qualified Homoeopaths.
