BANGALORE: With only 12 10-bed hospitals in the State and a lone government college, homoeopathy is not the most happening system of medicine right now. An acute lack of government dispensaries, poor teaching, falling demand for college seats and a "step-motherly attitude" (as some officials concerned put it) by the State Government has left homoeopathy in the lurch.

This despite the existence of 4,000 practising homoeopaths in the State, 600 of them in Bangalore alone.

There are about 800 Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) seats in 12 private unaided colleges and one government college in the State. But almost 30 per cent of these seats remain unfilled every year. "With the growing demand for MBBS, BDS and Ayurveda courses, students see homoeopathy only as a fourth option," President of Karnataka Board of Homoeopathic System of Medicine (KBHSM) Veerabrahmachary told The Hindu.

The college managements fill 70 per cent of the BHMS seats in each institution while the 30 per cent government quota seats are filled through a selection process conducted by the Common Entrance Test (CET) Cell.

The cell started this process three years ago, along with the Unani seat selection. But even government quota seats have few takers, according to sources.

The government homoeopathy college has an intake of 40 seats while the private colleges have an intake of 75, 100 and 120, as stipulated by the Central Council of Homoeopathy. This year, the number of seats could go up if the council approves an application by a trust to start a new private homoeopathy college.

While the BHMS degrees are awarded by the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, they have to be registered by the council for the graduates to start their practice. But to the dismay of the KBHSM, several homoeopathy practitioners have mushroomed in different parts of the State, armed with "diplomas" issued by private trusts.

Dr. Veerabrahmachary said: "any degree or diploma in homoeopathy can be issued only by a university or equivalent that is listed under the Indian University Act. Further, such degree/diploma must be included in the second and third schedule of the Central Council of Homoeopathy Act 1973."

Besides, private institutions have no authority to issue degrees without the necessary requirements.

"To start any educational institute offering homoeopathic courses needs affiliation by the university, recognition by the State Government and permission from the Central Council of Homoeopathy and the Government of India," the KBHSM President explained.

To check the authenticity of degrees/diplomas in homoeopathy, students and homoeopathy patients can call 22873195.

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