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Forthcoming examination violates Homeopathy Act, charges GHPA
View(s):The Government Homeopathic Practitioners’ Association (GHPA) alleges that the forthcoming examination to be held for homeopathic practitioners by the Health Ministry is in violation of the Homeopathy Act.
The examination is designed to grant homeopathic practitioners who have provisional (temporary) registration, general registration to practice homeopathy in the country. GHPA Vice President Dr. S. Ramesh charged that the exam, to be held next month, is being used to grant general registration to nearly 50 practitioners who had bribed their way to obtain provisional registration. These practitioners had been given registration during the previous government.
The registrations were given after the then Health Ministry arbitrarily dissolved the Homeopathic Council and appointed an interim council. Some of the members who were removed later filed a Fundamental Rights Petition in the Supreme Court, which ruled in their favour. “The court granted compensation to the petitioners and also annulled the decisions of the interim council. While the current Government has paid the compensation, the decisions of the council have not been annulled, and those who paid bribes to obtain registration continue to practice,” Dr Ramesh added.
The GHPA is urging the Health Ministry to postpone the examination until elections are held to appoint members to the new Homeopathic Council in October. “We have spoken to the Health Ministry Secretary and he has promised to look into the issue. We are also convening a meeting of our members on October 7. If no solution is found, we will decide whether to initiate legal action to prevent the exam from being held,” Dr Ramesh further said.