Dr Tarkeshwar Jain, President, Homeopathy Education Board, Secretary In-charge, National Commission for Homeopathy, New Delhi
World Homeopathy Day 2022: The day marks the significance of the Homoeopathy and its contribution in treating many diseases in a holistic way. The day is celebrated on Dr Christian Friedrich Samuel Hahnemann’s birth anniversary, a German physician and founding father of Homoeopathy medicine, born in Germany during 1755. Apart from honouring the founder, the day also gives people an opportunity to understand the possibilities of the branch of medicine and role of Homoeopathy has been able to pull off in the last centuries. World is witnessing the role of Homoeopathy in management of current pandemic, Covid-19 also. By celebrating the day, makes an opportunity to the economic policy makers to sit back and think about steps which can promote this affordable medical the branch of medicine in a broad manner and help build its infrastructure in India. National Commission for Homeopathy (NCH) is in the process of developing steps for the revamping the system with quality education and practice as the founder dreamed about.
To bring about standardization and good governance as mandate the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) has been constituted by an act of Indian Parliament known as “The National Commission for Homoeopathy Act, 2020” with effect from 05.07.2021. Alongside making the self-reliant professionals through skill-based education, Education Board of the Commission has a great role by defining the standards of education, framing guidelines, and determining minimum requirements for medical institutions.
Education policy
National Health Policy 2020, the first education policy of the 21st century, recommends that medical education be integrated with the service delivery system, so that the students learn in the real environment and not just in the confines of the medical school. NCH, as a part towards development of standards in education, has initiated steps for revamping the existing parameters for imparting quality education in Homeopathy.
As a first step, Commission initiated the process of collecting feedbacks on the proposed changes in existing Minimum Standards for Requirements for Homeopathic Medical Colleges and Hospitals with all stakeholders for easy implementation of these changes. This became a fist attempt in the history of education policymaking for Homeopathy.
Competency Based Dynamic Curriculum
Commission has decided to adopt Competency Based Dynamic Curriculum (CBDC), a renewed approach that promote leaner-cent redness, in the curriculum for Undergraduate and Post Graduate courses in Homeopathy Medical Colleges across the country. By this active involvement of the learner in the educational process and valid and reliable tools assessment of competency of students is envisaged. Introduction of this new teaching and evaluation approach will ensure the availability of the well-qualified and trained practitioners of Homoeopathy to society.
Electives subjects
By introducing ‘elective subjects’ into Undergraduate curriculum, Homoeopathy education institutions will provide opportunity to students to get introduced, exposed and oriented to various allied subjects that are required to understand and build inter-disciplinary approach and creates more job opportunities. Learning such allied health related topics generates practitioners trained in other systems of Medicine indulge in, what is called, cross-practice i.e., using the potentials of that system when trained in an alternative discipline. Moreover, this will address the stark reality is that a very substantial portion of the primary healthcare services are delivered by untrained providers in rural areas.
Medical Education Technology Department
Introduction of Medical Education Technology as a separate department for both Graduate and Post Graduate level of teaching will integrate learning resources for better perception and performance. Primary motto is to improvise the quality of education by training the teachers and to enhance teaching and learning in Homeopathy Medical Colleges. Secondly, new method will create a better perception and performance of students and update knowledge using modern information and research methodology tools in learning.
Research Methodology Department
To develop a basic understanding of qualitative and quantitative research designs in clinical context and drafting a research proposal with all key elements of methodology, an orientation on basic Research Methodology is required. Therefore, syllabus will include basics of biostatistics and other ethical principles of bio-medical research are incorporated.
Counselling for admissions
Now, students who qualify NEET will get the opportunity to secure a seat at any Homoeopathy Medical colleges in any State. Commission is conducting entrance examination at All India level for Undergraduate and Postgraduate admissions.
National Teacher Eligibility Test
The outcome of an education imparted by an unskilled teacher can have its far reaching and diverse effects on the students. A poor performance of Homeopathy practice has its roots in the inappropriate handling of its key functionaries like teachers. Commission’s decision for National Teacher Eligibility Test to ensure the quality of faculty for the Colleges will create a definite impact on quality education in Homeopathy.
New Initiatives
For exploring the potential areas of Homeopathy in prevention and treatment for communicable disease, Post Graduate degree will be implemented in Community Medicine. In consultation with experts Commission is also planning to develop MD in Obstetrics & Gynaecology, Dermatology.
Commission is also looking forward to developing benchmarks for Homeopathy for including in WHO traditional medicine strategy 2014–2023. This will become a platform for recognising levels of education, accreditation, and regulation of Homeopathy practitioners across the globe.
Expectations and outcomes
New approaches will cater the professional development requirements of teachers and guide students to access to a variety of diverse resources that are not just textual, but also audio-visual and experiential in nature. By adopting innovative curriculum and pedagogies to usher a new era will generate a quality service from future professionals. Current educational reforms in Homeopathic education will create a definite role in raising competent professional without compromising the principles of Homoeopathy.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/blogs/voices/reforms-in-homoeopathy-education/
Today is the need of MEDICAL EDUCATIONAL HUBS where teaching of all the medical courses at under graduate level (i.e. MBBS, BHMS, BAMS, BUMS, etc.) with additional Departments of AYUSH Medical Subjects should be taught under one roof like Engeneering Education. Moreover, by doing this expenses will be less as the medical students can be trained under the Multi-speciality Hospital having wings of Allopathy & AYUSH. This will help in achieving the goal of health for all at the earliest as the ailing humanity will get the benefit of all the system of medicine under one roof.
Yes. Applied Clinical Teaching is mostly necessary for upgradation of skill of us.