HOMEOPATHY AROUND THE WORLD
Homeopathy is practiced
across Europe by approximately equal number
of homeopaths and homeopathic doctors.
The distribution between countries is
uneven with some countries having proportionately
larger numbers of homeopathic doctors.
Three countries in western parts of Europe
legally restrict the practice of homeopathy
to doctors only (Austria, France, Luxembourg).
Unfortunately, the fourth European State
taking such restrictive legal measures
is Bulgaria, where after the new Health
Law come into effect, only doctors and
dentists shall have the right to homeopathic
practice. However in other countries the
number of doctors who practice homeopathy
is relatively low and the homeopaths are
far more numerous (Denmark, Finland, Ireland,
Norway, Sweden). Governments in Belgium,
Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway,
Portugal and the UK have recently introduced
legislation to positively regulate the
area of CAMs including homeopathy.
Outside Europe in countries as India,
Mexico, Pakistan, South Africa homeopathy
is established as a primary discrete healthcare
discipline with an in depth undergraduate
education and training and a professional
infrastructure which puts it on equal
level with conventional medicine.
Meanwhile in countries such as Australia
and New Zealand homeopathy is developing
into a complete healthcare profession
and is receiving government recognition
through positive enabling legislative
change.
In some countries as Denmark and the UK
integrated healthcare projects have been
or are carried out. Some of these projects
include homeopaths who work closely together
with conventional health care personnel.
The European Council
for Classic Homeopathy (ECCH) is founded
in 1990 and is represented in 27 countries
in Europe, including all countries in
Western Europe and an increasing number
of countries in Eastern parts of Europe.
Over the past year associations in three
new countries have joined the Council.
The Bulgarian Homeopathic Society is a
full member of ECCH since May 2003.
ECCH has obtained NGO Participative Status
with the Council of Europe.
ECCH is working actively to ensure that
homeopaths can provide high quality homeopathic
treatment for the European public. This
also includes working for the availability
and quality of homeopathic medicines.
The Bulgarian Homeopathic Society is striving
for recognition and registration of Homeopathy
as a separate profession. This suggest
requirements towards the homeopaths related
to the level of their training and its
duration, as well as legal protection
and registry. The Bulgarian Homeopathic
Society is putting serious efforts in
that direction in cooperation with European
structures defending the rights of both
patients and alternative medicine specialists.
Our objective is related to the passing,
in the nearest future, of an Alternative
Healing Methods Law in general or a Homeopathy
Law in particular.
According
to the World Health Organization, “alternative
method” means activity for beneficial
impact on individual health which is not
included in the training programs for
professional directions Medicine, Dentistry,
Pharmacy and Healthcare.
Classic Homeopathy IS
an alternative method considering man
as a whole and healing with a SINGLE dose,
with a SINGLE remedy for a long time,
rapid, gentle and permanent, as Samuel
Hahnemann has written 200 years ago in
the Organon of Medicine.