Proper status for homeopathy in health policy demanded

Leaders of homeopath practitioners at a conference in the city Friday urged the government to give due importance of homeopathy in the new health policy that is likely to be adopted soon, reports BSS. They said more than 100,000 homeopathy doctors - both qualified and unqualified -- were providing healthcare services to a large of number of people, but seldom the matter has been taken into cognizance at the policy level. "Homeopathy has been sidelined by the aggressive marketing of allopathic medicines in the modern world, but millions of people still get cured by homeopathic treatment, especially from chronic diseases," chairman of Bangladesh Homeopathy Board Dr Dilip Kumar Roy said at the third Homeopathic conference in the city. Dr Roy said more than 153 seats for homeopathy doctors at public sector remained vacant for years, while existing teachers didn't get regular salary due to a gross 'neglect' to the sector from authorities concerned. He urged the government to provide sufficient allocation for the promotion of homeopathy, now losing its vigour due to mass expansion of biomedicine up to the grassroots, in the next national budget. "We must give due importance to homeopathy and other alternative medicines that really help people to get relief," added president of Bangladesh Academy of Sciences, Prof Dr M Shamsher Ali.