Impressed by the rapid progress India has made in popularizing homoeopathic medicine, Sri Lanka has invited Indian experts to help assist spread of homoeopathy in the island nation which incidentally has a significant number of migrants from peninsular India as also China.

“We want to open doors for homoeopaths to develop the system in a big way in Sri Lanka. We soon enact legislation in our Parliament and encourage doctors from India and other countries to work with us as we have shortage of doctors,” Sri Lanka's minister for indigenous medicine Salinda Disanayake had announced in the inaugural session of the 66th World Homoeopathic Congress (WHC) of the International Homoeopathic Medical League (LMHI).

At present, there is no homoeopathic college in Sri Lanka, and it has one hospital with no adequate staff. The Sri Lankan government is planning to open nine hospitals, one referral besides importing homoeopathic drugs from abroad, he said.

Sri Lanka is a member of the SAARC country along with India. Meanwhile, India had unfolded its plans to give fillip to the indigenous schools of medicine - Ayurveda, Unani, Sidha and Homoeopathy (Ayush) – in the coming 12th Five Year Plan (2012-17) by integrating Ayush in the healthcare delivery to reach remote areas.

“India will take all measures to strengthen homoeopathic education by studying the best practices in the world besides further developing infrastructure. We have to gear up all systems of medicine by bringing about awareness among the masses taking advantage of the unique strengths each system has. Homoeopathy in this case becomes relevant as it provides simple and cost effective remedies,” Ghulam Nabi Azad, Union Health Minister said.

A National Commission for Human Resources for Ayush, Regional Hospitals, more International institutions, quality control laboratories, central drug control units for standardization are some of the projects under examination, announced Azad.

India is also planning to send surplus homoeopathic and ayurvedic doctors to Sri Lanka to assist the neighbour in boosting its public health systems. Allopathic doctors are in short supply in India.