President Shri Pranab Mukherjee to Inaugurate the International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day

The Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH), an autonomous research organization of Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India and an international organisation Liga Medicorum Homeopathica Internationalis (LMHI) are jointly organizing the International Convention on World Homoeopathy Day, with the support of Ministry of AYUSH on 9-10 April, 2016 at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi. The event is being organized to commemorate the 261st birth anniversary of the founder of Homoeopathy, Dr. Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann, a German physician, who was a great scholar, linguist and acclaimed scientist. Honble President of India Shri Pranab Mukherjee will inaugurate the convention. Shri Shripad Yesso Naik, Minister of State for AYUSH (Independent Charge), will be guest of honour. 

World Homoeopathy Day, celebrated the world over to commemorate the birth anniversary of this legendary scientist, is an ideal day to stress upon the new possibilities in the global health scenario if Homoeopathy is integrated in mainstream public health. With World Health Organisation emphasising on the need of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Homoeopathy has a lot to offer to the world since it is economical, safe and effective. 

The theme of the Convention is Integrating Homoeopathy in healthcare, as the Convention would aim at highlighting the health and cost benefits of integrating Homoeopathy in healthcare among the health professionals and policymakers, by way of scientific evidence and rich clinical experiences. Homoeopathy has its own distinct advantages of being safe, effective and economical, and, therefore, could contribute significantly to the health scenario of a country. 

The potential of Homoeopathy remains largely unexplored and, therefore, underutilized in public health. This, despite the fact that Homoeopathy is practised in more than 80 countries of the world and is known to be effective in various communicable and non-communicable diseases chronic diseases and diseases of children and mothers. 

India, today, is the world leader in Homoeopathy, in terms of infrastructure and trained resources. We have the highest number of homoeopathy colleges, dispensaries, hospitals and practitioners. This is due to the support that Homoeopathy has received from the Government of India for its advancement and spread. A number of National Health Programmes are either exclusively based on Homeopathy/ AYUSH or integrated with conventional medicine (National Campaign for Mother & Child Care, Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram, Swasthya Rakshan, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS) etc.). People of India have ready access to Homoeopathy in most regions and effectively use the system for many day to day and chronic ailments. 

This convention will deliberate upon various significant issues in Homoeopathy. The convention include special sessions on Homeopathy on cancer, Homeopathy on Mental Health, Homoeopathy on Epidemics, Homoeopathy on Public Health, Clinical Research Studies, drug validation and drug development among others. Session on basic research will try to address the usually favourite points of skeptics, like non-existence of original particles in ultrahigh dilutions, lack of understanding of mechanism of action of homoeopathic medicines, etc. Sessions on applied research will be inclusive of studies on evidence-based studies on various clinical conditions, and throw light on where we stand today in terms of level of evidence. 

The exclusive public health session will discuss the ways of promoting Homoeopathy globally and chalk out the channels to enhance international cooperation among countries and to establish dialogue for promotion of Homoeopathy at political level. There will be sessions which will discuss the global scenario of Homoeopathy and challenges related to education and spread of Homoeopathy in various countries. Quality and validation related concerns for homoeopathic medicines will also be discussed at length. Strengths of Homoeopathy in veterinary diseases will also be taken up separately, as will be the subject of philosophy of Homoeopathy and its practical application. 

Internationally acclaimed scientists known for their remarkable work in various fields will be attending this convention. Among these, 16 international speakers will also present their work and views on Homoeopathy. In all, over 100 papers will be presented through oral or poster presentations. 

Several countries are participating in the convention including Brazil, Russia, South Africa, Italy, Netherlands, U.K., Austria, Armenia, Canada, Israel, Australia, Bangladesh, Japan, France, UAE, Cuba, Nepal, Turkey, Argentina, Slovenia, Pakistan, Ghana and Kenya. Health Ministers of Bangladesh and Nepal and state Health Ministers of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Karnataka are also participating. BRICS and SEAR countries will hold special meetings during the convention to strategize their consolidated efforts for promotion of Homoeopathy in their respective countries, with supporting each other with information exchange and technical knowhow. CCRH is expected to sign two Memoranda of understanding (MoUs), one each with Yerevan State Medical University, Armenia and College of Homeopaths of Ontario, Canada on cooperation in the field of Research and Education in Homoeopathic Medicine during the convention. Representatives from WHO will also be participating.

Source: Business Standard