1. Development of Homeopathy in Pakistan and its present status in Pakistan:
Homeopathy was officially recognized by the Government of Pakistan in 1965 and the Board of Homeopathic System of Medicine, Pakistan was established under the Unani Ayurvedic and Homeopathic Practitioners' Act. 1965 (II of 1965), nominating 19 members from East (now Bangladesh) and West Pakistan for a period of three years. Under the Act, the Board has been functioning.a) To consider applications for recognition made by the institutions imparting or desiring to impart instructions in Homeopathic system of medicine;
b) To secure the maintenance of an adequate standard of efficiency in the recognized Homeopathic Institutions:
c) To make arrangements for the registration of duly qualified persons in accordance with the provisions of the Act:
d) To provide for Research in Homeopathy, and
e) To do such other acts and things as the Board may be empowered to do by the Act or the Rules.
The Board has also adopted a code of Ethics for the Registered/Enlisted Homeopathic Practitioners duly approved by the Government of Pakistan.
A Research Report on Homeopathy, which was prepared by the Research Committee, and subsequently approved by the Board, has since been published.
The Board has finally approved the Pakistan Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia which, is now in its final printing stages.
In 1975 the Federal Government called a meeting, of the prominent Homeopaths of the country, for the finalization of the amendments to the said Act. Which are at present under the active consideration of the Government.
The Federal Government has approved the scheme for the establishment of a Homeopathic Research Center at Karachi. It is envisaged that Research Centers on the same pattern will be established in all the big cities of the country in near future.
2. Number of Registered/Enlisted Practitioners:
So far the Board has Registered/Enlisted the following number of practitioners in the country.a) Registered (under Section 26 the Act) 12714
b) Enlisted (under Section 27 of the Act) 965
Under the Act, the examinations in all the recognised Homeopathic medical institutions are conducted by the Board in accordance with the Government approved syllabus. The D.H.M.S. Diploma is conferred by the Board on those students who qualify for the Diploma after a four-year course. The Board has also recommended to the Government to start the following courses:
1. A Degree Course of 5 years
2. A Post-graduate Course of one year after Degree Course.
These courses will be introduced as and when the amendments are passed in the National Assembly.
3. Other Relevant Matters
i) So far the Board has sent its official delegations to the following International Conferences with the approval of the Federal Government.1. International Conference of Homeopathic Medicine, held at Washington and San Francisco, U.S.A. in 1974.
2. International Conference of Homeopathic Medicine, held at Rome in 1968
3. International Conference of Homeopathic Medicine, held at Rotterdam (Holland) in 1975.
4. International Conference of Homeopathic Medicine, held at Athens in 1976.
ii) The last election to the Board was held in1968.
The development of Homeopathy in Pakistan is analogous to its development in Bharat. One has to have background of Homeopathy in undivided India to know its development in Pakistan.
The City of Lahore in Pakistan has the privilege of being the first city of undivided India, where Homeopathy was introduced by Dr. J. M. Honigberger, a German Physician. He was the first Homeopath to settle in India in 1835. He remained in the East for thirty five years practising Homeopathy. Dr. Honigberger cured with Dulcamara the then ruler of the Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who was sick at Lahore.
Lahore being the capital of the Punjab was the centre of socio-economic activities. The first Homeopathic college of the Punjab was short opened in Lahore in early 1920. it was started by an American Missionary, Dr. Freeburn and Maj. Dr. Sadiq Ali. This institution, the Central Homeopathic Medical College, produced many eminent Homeopaths of India. The prominent Homeopaths of the Punjab during that period were Dr. Diwan Jai Chand, Dr. Nizamuddin. Dr. Khanchand Dev. Dr. R. D. Ghazi, Dr. Mohd Masood Qureshi. Dr. Mohd. Ismail Akhtar and Dr. Mohd Ismail Nami.
Although there were a number of Homeopathic associations during that period in India, the first All-India Homeopathic Medical Association was formed in 1932. The first Congress session was held in Calcutta, second in Bombay and the third at Madras In 1936 it met in Agra where it was decided that the Homeopaths should struggle for State recognition. This Congress also decided to register the Homeopaths of India. Dr. Goswami from Mathura was nominated as the Registrar. Dr. Ghazi, Dr. Masood and Dr. Nami were nominated to authenticate the applicants from the provinces of the Punjab and the Frontier.
Pakistan became independent on 14th August, 1947. A large number of Homeopaths migrated to Pakistan from Bharat and similarly many migrated to Bharat from Pakistan Dr. U. A. Pasha, Dr. Hamid and many eminent Homeopaths settled in Karachi and Karachi became the centre of Homeopathic activities. The city of Lahore enjoyed second position to Culcutta regarding Homeopathic activities in undivided India, but after independence there was a lull for a short period. Then Dr. M. Masood Qureshi took the initiative and the Pakistan Homeopathic Association was formed but this Association was very short-lived. Another body, Pakistan Homeopathic Federation was formed in 1949, at Karachi.
The first Pakistan Homeopathic conference was held under the auspicious of the Federation in Sept. 1949 at Karachi.
The Homeopathic Bill was placed for the first time before Pakistan Legislative Assembly by Syed Noor Ahmed on 5th Jan. 1950. Syed Noor Ahmed had also moved a bill in the Legislative Assembly of undivided India on 1.4.1945. The Legislative Assembly voted in favour of the publication of the Bill for public opinion.
Meanwhile a proposal by Dr. A. M. Malik, the Minister for Health for opening Medical Colleges which would teach Allopathy during the first four years and Homeopathy in the final year was turned down by the Homeopaths. They had learnt a lesson from what had happened in the U.S.A.
The Bill was not put to debate on the pretext that it was a private Bill and the Government would place its own Bill before the House.
In 1950 the Sind Medical Council put a ban on the use of the prefix 'Doctor' by any Homeopath, which ban was eventually lifted under public pressure.
In 1951 the Government appointed a Health Committee consisting of the following members:
1. Mr. A. R. Armaghan, Jt. Secy. Ministry of Health.
2. Lt. Col. Jaffar, Director General of Health.
3. Dr. A Hamid. Karachi.
4.. Dr. U. A. Pasha. Karachi.
5. Dr. Zakir Hussain, Chittagong.
6. Dr. Nurul Wahab, Dacca.
7. Mr. S. S. Haider. Deputy Secy., Ministry of Health.
This committee was to recommend for:
1. The procedure for the Registration of Homeopaths.2. To prepare the syllabus for the Homeopathic Medical Colleges.
The committee submitted its report in October 1951.
Pir Ali Akbar Shah had in the meantime placed the Homeopathic Practitioners' Bill in the Provincial Assembly of Sind in April 1951. Ultimately after many years of toil and hard labour the National Assembly of Pakistan passed the Unani, Ayurvedic and Homeopathic Practitioners' Act, which provided for the registration of practitioners and the framing of the syllabus for the Homeopathic Colleges. Under the provisions of the Act the Board of Homeopathic System of Medicine was formed by the Government.
The Board of Homeopathic System of Medicine soon started working in full swing but the Military Regime which took over the Government in October 1958, repealed the Homeopathic Act in 1959.
There was a short period of depression but the Homeopaths started once again with renewed zeal and vigour and with the help of Dr. A. M. Malik and Alhaj Abdullah Zahiruddin Lal Mian, the Federal Minister for Health, they were able to get another legislation passed in 1965. A new Board was formed with Dr. U. A. Pasha as Chair man and 17 other members.
The registration of Homeopaths was done in 1967. In Pakistan we have two types of Homeopaths. Firstly those who have qualified from a Homeopathic college and secondly the lay practitioners.
The lay practitioners practising at that time were registered on the basis of having at least ten years' full-time practice and also after undergoing a test conducted by the Board of Homeopathic System of Medicine. But from 1967 onwards no lay practitioner has been registered.
Thereafter only those who qualify from the Homeopathic colleges are registered. The most interesting point to note is the fact that nearly all the present leading and famous practitioners having lucrative practice have be( lay practitioners in the past.
The present members of the Board of Homeopathic System of Medicine are
1. Dr. Muhammad Ismail Nami.
2. Dr. Altai Hussain.
3. Dr. A. R. Hashmi.
4. Dr. Abdul Aziz, M.B.B.S.
5. Dr. C. A. Saeed.
6. Dr. A. M. Hamid.
7. Dr. A. H. Hanif
8. Dr. S. M. Hasan Riaz.
The Board of Homeopathic System of Medicine is the supreme body Homeopaths in the country. It is autonomous body under the control of the Ministry of Health. Government of Pakistan. It consists of elected as well as nominated members. Elections are held every three years. It has an honorary President and a full-time Secretary-cum-Registrar. Its permanent office is situated at III/A/5/1. Nazimabad. Karachi. The present President is Dr. Mohd. Ismail Nami, while Dr. S. A. Khan is the Registrar.Present Status of Homeopathy: Homeopathy is officially recognised by the Government of Pakistan. There are 12.714 registered and 965 enlisted Homeopaths in Pakistan.
Five colleges are already recognised and two more await recognition. The colleges receive a substantial sum of money from the Ministry of Health as grant-in-aid and about 200 Homeopaths are qualifying from these colleges every year.
A Commission for Indigenous Medicines was appointed by the Government of Pakistan in March 1975. This Commission was headed by Dr. Salimuzzaman Siddiqui, a scientist of international repute. The other members were eminent scientists, doctors, hakims, vaids and Homeopaths. Dr. Mohd. Ismail Nami was nominated from amongst the Homeopaths.
The Commission has recommended the utilisation of the services of Homeopaths in the Health System in Pakistan. The Government of Pakistan intends to utilise the services of Homeopaths in the new health scheme. This puts the final seal of official recognition of the Homeopathic system of medicine.
The National Health Laboratories at Islamabad, has a Homeopath research officer working in collaboration with the experts of the other systems of medicine. Dr. Mansoor Ismail Nami, M.Sc., D.H.M.S. was the first Homeopath Research Officer. The Government have accorded sanction for the establishment of a Homeopathic Dispensary-cum-Research Centre at Karachi which was to start functioning by July 1977. The State Life Insurance Corporation, Oil and Gas Corporation and other Corporate Bodies have appointed Homeopaths on their panel of doctors.
