National Commission for Homeopathy Bill, 2019

• 19 Mar 2020

Why in News

Recently, the Rajya Sabha passed National Commission for Homeopathy Bill, 2019 to develop and streamline the usage of homeopathy in the country.

Key Features of the Bill

• Constitution of the National Commission for Homeopathy:
  
  • The Bill seeks to repeal the Homeopathy Central Council Act, 1973 and aims to provide availability of adequate and high quality homeopathic medical professionals.
  • The Bill sets up the National Commission for Homeopathy (NCH), which will consist of 20 members, appointed by the central government.
• Functions of the National Commission for Homeopathy:
  
  • Framing policies for regulating medical institutions and homeopathic medical professionals.
  • Assessing the requirements of healthcare related human resources and infrastructure.
  • Ensuring compliance by the State Medical Councils of Homeopathy of the regulations made under the Bill.
  • Ensuring coordination among the autonomous boards set up under the Bill.
• Autonomous boards:
  
  • Homeopathy Education Board: It will be responsible for formulating standards, curriculum, guidelines for setting up of medical institutions, and granting recognition to medical qualifications at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels respectively.
  • Medical Assessment and Rating Board for Homeopathy: It determines the process of rating and assessment of medical institutions and has the power to levy monetary penalties on institutions which fail to maintain the minimum standards. It will also grant permission for establishing a new medical institution.
  • Board of Ethics and Medical Registration for Homeopathy: It will maintain a National Register of all licensed homeopathic medical practitioners, and regulate their professional conduct.Only those medical practitioners included in the Register will be allowed to practice homeopathic medicine.
• Advisory Council for Homeopathy:
  
  • The Council will be the primary platform through which the states/union territories can put forth their views and concerns before the NCH.
  • Further, the Council will advise the NCH on measures to determine and maintain minimum standards of medical education.
• Entrance examinations:
  
  • There will be a uniform National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test and an exit test for under-graduate homeopathy education in all medical institutions regulated by the Bill.
  • The Bill also proposes a National Teachers’ Eligibility Test for postgraduates of homeopathy who wish to take up teaching homeopathy as a profession.
• Appeal on matters related to professional and ethical misconduct:
  
  • If the medical practitioner is aggrieved by the decision of the Board of Ethics and Medical Registration for Homoeopathy, he can approach the NCH to appeal against the decision. Appeal of the decision of the NCH lies with the central government.

Homeopathy

• The word ‘Homeopathy’ is derived from two Greek words, Homois meaning similar and pathos meaning suffering. It was introduced in India in the 18^th Century.
• It takes a holistic approach towards the sick individual through promotion of inner balance at mental, emotional, spiritual and physical levels.