CAM Animal Practitioners' Statement on EU Proposal for a Regulation on veterinary medicinal products
May 11 2015 - Press release - The Kooperation deutscher Tierheilpraktikerverbände
The European Commission has tabled a proposal to amend or, to be more precise, replace the existing law on veterinary medicinal products (Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on veterinary medicinal products /* COM/2014/0558 final - 2014/0257 (COD) */). Because of the variety of animal species, the legal regulation of veterinary medicinal products is very piecemeal. This has resulted in a variety of supplementary regulations and provisions that render the law very unwieldy and in some respects contradict the rules and objectives of the internal market.
The Kooperation deutscher Tierheilpraktikerverbände, which is an umbrella organization of five professional associations of CAM animal practitioners in Germany, the Fachverband Niedergelassener Tierheilpraktiker and the Ältester Verband der Tierheilpraktiker Deutschlands, issued a joint statement to this proposal:
CAM (Complementary and Alternative Medicine) animal practitioners/Tierheilpraktiker regard themselves as members of a regulated animal health profession. The activities of CAM animal practitioners in Germany are governed by several laws and provisions. In this context, the position of CAM animal practioners is that the reorganization of the veterinary medicinal products legislation and the following core objectives are completely welcome, namely,
Workshop on ‘Alternative Medicines’
Brussels - 30 November 2011
Directorate General for Internal Policies Policy Department A: Economic and Scietific Policy
Abstract
This is a summary of the presentations and discussions at a Workshop on Alternative Medicines held at the European Parliament. The workshop was organised with the aim of raising awareness about alternative medicines and exchanging views on the current legal framework. Seven experts covered topics such as Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurveda, Homeopathy, dietary methods and fasting, and others. A representative of the European Commission contributed comments about the present regulatory scenario.
Belgian Government legislates to restrict the availability of homeopathy to its citizens
On 29 April 1999, in line with the international and national recommendations on complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies expressed by bodies such as the Council of Europe and the European Parliament, the Belgian Parliament voted in the Colla Law in order to initially regulate practitioners of four of the most popular CAM practices in Belgium: acupuncture, chiropractic, homeopathy and osteopathy.
In the years to follow professional bodies for these practices were founded and accredited by the Ministry of Health, among which the Liga Homeopathica Classica was established for homeopathy. The Liga established high standards for the education and professional profile of homeopaths in line with the guidelines of the European Central Council of Homeopaths in preparation for an eventual specific legal framework for the profession.
Eventually, after legal pressure was brought to bear, the Ministry of Health set up 4 commissions, one for each practice, in order to establish the specific details concerning the regulation the four disciplines. Unfortunately the homeopathy commission was neither democratically constituted, nor did they include adequate representation of the most important interest of all, patients and citizens.
On Monday 12 May 2014, 15 years after the Colla Law was introduced, a Royal Decree was published by the Ministry of Health that completely denies the autonomy of the profession of the homeopath and deprives Belgian patients of their freedom of choice to have homeopathic treatment now and into the future.
Regulation Complementary Medical Practitioners
Authors: Anna Dixon © KING’S FUND 2008
In this report the experience of 16 countries in regards to this issue are reviewed:
Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Ghana, Hong Kong SAR, India, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, South Africa, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK), United States of America (USA).
Throughout, three domains of regulation are analysed: practice; education and training; licensing and registration of practitioners of traditional/complementary medicine.
Research summary