President Mamnoon Hussain has urged the practitioners as well as proponents of alternative medicine in the country to focus on scientific research as well as standardisation of education and training in homoeopathy and tibb respectively.
Addressing the inaugural session of International Expo Alternative Medicine organised by monthly Moalij here on Saturday, he said efficacy and relevance of traditional medication could not be ignored.
“Yet absence of proper regulation, standardisation and above all no research have severely compromised their popularity among the masses,” he said.
Mentioning that in local context homoeopathy and tibb are most relevant traditional modes of treatment which are extremely popular for quite some time after establishment of the country, the president regretted that indifference towards research culture caused a great setback to these otherwise affordable source of medication.
On the contrary, he said allopathy gained massive inroads mainly because of their research-based development in context of diagnosis, treatment as well as pharmacological preparations.
Countering the complaint about lack of state patronage to traditional medicine in the country, President Mamnoon Hussain said his presence in the programme was in itself an evidence that the state as well as the government were interested in promoting alternative medicine on sound grounds.
He said there were very few examples in the country as that of Hakim Said who attempted to set a precedence and worked wholeheartedly for imparting education-cum-training programme on modern lines in tibb besides coming forward with fresh medical formulations in the field.
“This has to be replicated across the country to gain strong grounds equally beneficial for public health as well as gaining new markets for our well-researched and tested traditional medicines in the international market,” said the president.
As for homoeopathy, he said it was still practiced in many of the countries including both developed and developing countries yet it had received strong set back in their context.
“Even many of our neighbouring countries have made steady research and significant improvements in this peculiar field of homoeopathy but in our context this is no match to allopathy,” regretted the president.
“This must be remembered that in these countries homoeopathy is treated as a complimentary mode of treatment and its practice following relevant training is allowed only after completion of MBBS,” said President Mamnoon Hussain.
He said it was needed to understand that allopathy and homoeopathy supplement each other and frivolous differences that may exist between the two could be settled through serious and concerted efforts.
With regard to submission by practitioners of alternative medicine for establishment of Elementary Homoeopathy University with equal attention towards research on herbs of pharmacological relevance, the president said they must approach the relevant department and he could extend his help whenever needed.
Similar measures are needed with regard to suggestions that homeopathy and tibb be introduced as an alternative mode of treatment in government hospitals, he said.
About the first international exhibition of alternative medicine in the country, the president said this could definitely help in promoting locally-produced and scientifically-proven traditional and herbal medicines in the country as well as abroad.
On the occasion, Dr Inam-ul-Haq representing Homoeopathic Doctors Association of the country said that representation must be given to the practitioners of alternative medicine in the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan.
Dr Naveed Zafar, representing practitioners of tibb or Greek and Arab system of medication, said universities like Hamdard University, Karachi, marked the beginning of degree-level training programme in the field followed by Qarshi University, Lahore, and Islamia University, Bahawalpur, making major contribution to the healthcare system of the country.
He also seconded Dr Haq that expertise of tibb and homoeopathy be incorporated in DRAP so as to streamline measures adopted for regulation of medicine and drugs in the country.