In order to mainstream homoeopathy in the national healthcare delivery system of the country, the professional bodies and the practitioners of the system should strive to establish through researches better scientific evidences of efficacy in accordance with modern scientific parameters according to Anil Ganeriwala, joint secretary, Union ministry of Ayush.

The joint secretary expressed his view while inaugurating the World Homoeopathy Summit in Mumbai recently.

While addressing the homoeopaths from across the world, he assured the Indian chapter of the Global Homoeopathy Foundation (GHF), which organised the summit, that funds would not be a constraint for researches. Also, he narrated to them the various schemes available with the Ministry to support research and development in homoeopathic method of treatment.

While briefing Pharmabiz about the Summit, Dr Sreevalsan M Menon, the managing trustee of GHF, said homoeopathy has gained increasing popularity in India in the recent past, and there is a resurgence of interest in many developed countries as well. Global attention is emerging among the scientists from the pure and applied sciences to look into certain intricate concepts of homoeopathy that remain as myths to the conventional science. Further, there is a demand from various health providers, including the governments, to mainstream the strength of homoeopathy in treating non-communicable and chronic diseases, viral infections, drug resistant diseases etc which are becoming a challenge in the conventional medicine.

On the side of researches and development of new drugs and treatments in the system, Dr Sreevalsan said the practitioners, students and the followers of homoeopathy in India are often naive to the scientific advances in homoeopathy around the world, due to inadequate revelations. As a result, they are often deprived of the information on the latest scientific developments. This makes them helpless to defend the unfound denigration on the system created by the so called critics of homoeopathy. The fact is that on one side there is an increasing demand for its use in healthcare and on the other side homoeopathy is criticized for inadequate clinical evidences. This is happening in spite of considerable evidences and encouraging research around the world.

He said, understanding these realities, the GHF in its pursuit to promote dissemination of scientific information in homoeopathy, has decided to invite renowned scientists from various parts of India and abroad to share their researches and experiences with the  scientific professionals attending the summit.  The homoeopathy summit was aimed at enhancing research aptitudes of the young homoeopaths, increasing clinical proficiency of practitioners, encouraging scientists from pure and applied sciences to associate in fundamental research and also to inviting government as well as non-government institutions to patronize research in homoeopathy, he said.

Dr Arun Jamkar, Vice Chancellor, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences was the Guest of Honor.  P Madhavan Nambiar, Patron of the GHF presided over the inaugural function.

Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, Central Council of Homoeopathy and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory were the institutional collaborators of the World Homoeopathy Summit.

Homoeopathic Medical Association of India, Indian Homoeopathic Medical Association and the Indian Chapter of Liga Medicora Homoeopathica Internationalis supported the event.