After the publication of the Planning Commission Report on the 10th December 1952 the Director-General of Health Services issued invitation letters to those representatives of the Homoeopathic profession who attended the Planning Commission Session to participate in the deliberations of an Ad Hoc Committee with the following words:
You will recall that while you were here in connection with the meeting called by the Planning Commission to discuss indigenous systems of Medicine and Homoeopathy, certain suggestions were made for immediate implementation in respect of teaching and research in Homoeopathy and other cognate matters. I am anxious to take some concrete steps in order to put some of these recommendations at any rate into effect as soon as possible.”
I propose to put up definite proposal for consideration by the Health Ministers conference which is going to meet shortly etc.
As a result of this communication from the D.G.H.S. three meetings of the Ad Hoc Committee were held; and the Committee discussed the following items and came to unanimous decisions regarding the same:
1. Training of Homoeopaths.
2. Research in Homoeopathy.
3. Standardisation of homoeopathic drugs.
4. Regulation of the practice of homoeopathy.
5. Utilisation of homoeopaths in health services.
6. Establishment of the Central Council of Homoeopathy.
7. Training of Homoeopaths:
(A) Undergraduate Training.
There should be only one course of training, viz., a five years degree course in homoeopathy made up of 42 years for basic and hospital studies and 6 months internship.
The candidates eligible for admission to the proposed degree-course in homoeopathy should pass Intermediate science (University standard) with Chemistry, Physics and Biology.
The 42 years course should be in two parts, namely.
(a) Pre-clinical studies for 2 years
and (b) Clinical studies for 22 years.
The following subjects were approved for pre-clinical years:-
1. Anatomy.
2. Physiology.
3. Elementary Pharmacology and Homoeopathic Materia Medica.
The 22 years of clinical studies would comprise the following subjects:-
1. Medicine.
2. Surgery.
3. Midwifery and Gynaecology.
4. Hygiene and Medical Jurisprudence.
5. Pathology and Bacteriology.
6. Homoeopathic Materia Medica, Therapeutics and Repertorization.
7. Organon and Homoeopathic Philosophy. Examinations:- An intermediate examination will be held at the end of two years of pre-clinical studies, the subjects for the examination being: Anatomy, Physiology and Elementary Pharmacology. It was recommended that the final examination should be in two parts. For part 1 the subjects should be Hygiene, Pathology and Bacteriology, and Medical Jurisprudence. These examination should take place one year after the Intermediate Examination. For part II in the remaining subjects, viz., Medicine, Surgery, Midwifery and Gynaecology, Homoeopathic Materia Medica and Therapeutics including Repertorization and Homoeopathic Philosophy, the examination should be taken at the end of 42 years of study.
Curriculum: The Committee considered in detail the draft syllabus drawn up by the members and approved the same.
In order to provide adequate facilities for such training the committee would suggest that
(i) the three existing homoeopathic colleges affiliated to the Homoeopathic State Faculty. W.B. at Calcutta should be amalgamated into one, pooling their resources in men and material. It is understood that the teaching staff of the institution shall, in the clinical section, consist of qualified practising Homoeopaths.
(ii) Other existing homoeopathic colleges in Lucknow, Gudivada and Midnapore should also be upgraded to give effect to this type of training;
(iii) any new homoeopathic institution which may be established, must possess adequate facilities to give the training of the degree standard and according to the draft syllabus:
(iv) The amalgamation of the College in Calcutta and the upgrading of the three other institutions should be completed within a period of five years and the authorities concerned should take such steps as are necessary to achieve this end. It was pointed out that the institutions would require financial help for such upgrading. It was agreed that the authorities concerned should submit detailed proposals for the upgrading programme together with their requests for financial aid to the State Governments concerned. The Chairman stated that if requests for financial aid from the centre were received they would be given due consideration.
B. Postgraduate training. The Committee agreed that there should be at least one College for giving post-graduate training in homoeopathy both to homoeopaths as well as graduates of medicine. The Committees view was that, to start with, the proposed HOmoeopathic College in Bombay should be developed as early as possible for the purpose. There should be two courses of post-graduate training, each of one years duration viz, (i) for homoeopaths who had taken the basic qualification from recognised homoeopathic institutions, and (ii) for graduates in modern medicine. The college authorities should submit proposals to the State Government for grant in aid for this development.
2. Research
The Committee considered the programme of research submitted by the members of the Ad Hoc Committee and it was agreed that out of the subjects listed, research on the following should be undertaken early and that a sum not less than Rs. 5 lakhs should be provided for this purpose:-
1. Use of recent methods of Encephalography.
2. Combined clinical and laboratory research.
3. Drug provings.
4. Preventive measures according to homoeopathic principles for combo infections diseases.
3. Standardisation of Homoeopathic Drugs.
The Committee agreed that pending the establishment of a separate institution for the purpose of manufacture and standardisation of Homoeopathic drugs the existing well-equipped Homoeopathic institutions should be entrusted with this work by augmenting wherever necessary, the existing facilities and equipment, particularly in respect of testing mother tinctures and for rendering such help as is required to the indigenous manufacture of the homoeopathic drugs. It may be necessary to depute suitably qualified students for specialised training abroad in this field.
4. Regulation of the practice of Homoeopathy.
The Committee was of opinion that immediate steps should be taken to introduce a system of registration for the regulation of practice of homoeopathy for avoidance of quackery and for the prohibition of the award of degrees and diplomas or issues or certificates by any except by institutions recognised for the purpose.
5. Utilisation of Homoeopaths in Health Services.
The Committee was of the view that utilisation of homoeopathic graduates, who have completed training for degree course, should be considered for employment in health services. However, those who have received training only of diploma course in recognised institutions, may be considered for employment only after they have had further training for one year in clinical subjects and in preventive medicines.
6. The establishment of the Central Council of Homoeopathy.
The Committee discussed the question of the establishment of a Central Council for Homoeopathy in all its aspects and reviewed the arguments put forward for it including those mentioned in the Homoeopathic Enquiry Committees Report. The Committee was of opinion that pending the establishment of a Central Council an advisory Committee should be constituted by the D.G. to advise him on all matters concerning the Homoeopathic system of medicine as for example, education, regulation of professional practice, control of Homoeopathic Pharmaceuticals and research.
This resume sets forth the present position of Homoeopathy vis-a-vis the Central and State Governments. The improvement of Homoeopathy depends on the establishment and running of fully equipped Homoeopathic institutions and hospitals attached thereto which will turn out complete homoeopathic physicians. It is for the first time that we have been able to secure the assurance from the Central Govt, about financial aid for the proposed homoeopathic institution and Research as well as about Utilisation of only qualified Homoeopathic practitioners in all Health Services.
It is our considered opinion that it is possible only at Calcutta to start a fully equipped Homoeopathic institution where the teaching staff, in the clinical section, may be manned by practising homoeopaths qualified from recognised institutions; and this is possible only if the three existing Calcutta Homoeopathic institutions (affiliated to the Homoeopathic State Faculty, West Bengal) are amalgamated into one, pooling their resources in men and material. The three existing Homoeopathic Colleges are all public institutions. They are governed by their respective Associations which are registered under the Joint Stock Companys Act 21 of 1860. No particular individual or a group of individuals possess any vested interest in it.
