Homeopathic Hospital, one of four homeopathic hospitals run by the NHS. but exceptions can be made; private health insurance policies sometimes include homeopathic treatment.
The Indian government recognises homeopathy as one of its national systems of medicine, and a minimum of a recognised diploma in homeopathy and registration on a state register or the Central Register of Homoeopathy is required to practice homeopathy in India.
In the United Kingdom, MPs inquired into homeopathy to assess the Government's policy on the issue, including funding of homeopathy under the National Health Service and government policy for licensing homeopathic products.
The decision by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee follows a written explanation from the Government in which it told the select committee that the licensing regime was not formulated on the basis of scientific evidence. "The three elements of the licensing regime (for homeopathic products) probably lie outside the scope of the ... select committee inquiry, because government consideration of scientific evidence was not the basis for their establishment," the Committee said. The inquiry sought written evidence and submissions from concerned parties.
In February 2010 the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee concluded that:
The Committee also stated:
In July 2010 the newly elected UK Secretary of State for Health deferred to local NHS on funding homeopathy.
A nineteen page document details the Government´s response, and it states that "our continued position on the use of homeopathy within the NHS is that the local NHS and clinicians, rather than Whitehall, are best placed to make decisions on what treatment is appropriate for their patients - including complementary or alternative treatments such as homeopathy - and provide accordingly for those treatments."
The response also stated that "the overriding reason for NHS provision is that homeopathy is available to provide patient choice".
Further Reading
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