Prospects of Homoeopathy in UAE

Dr.Abdul Gafar BHMS

UAE Government approved practice of Homoeopathy in the country in the beginning of 2001. A separate section was established under UAE Ministry of Health (MOH) for Complementary and Alternative Medicines. A qualifying examination is held by MOH about three times a year, and so far 92 Homoeopaths have qualified to practice in UAE.

The MOH examination is of a simple structure but analyze in depth the capacity of the doctors.

It consists of two parts. The first, a written examination for 100 marks is a mixture of MCQ and short-answer questions. This is a common test for all the branches of complimentary and alternative medicines like Homoeopathy, Ayurveda, Unani, Acupuncture etc. This is based on General Medicine and the questions are of good standard. Those who clear this examination will be called for an interview, where a panel of experts (Allopathic and Homoeopathic doctors) will judge the capacity of the candidate as a physician. The Homoeopathic knowledge is assessed in this part. The successful doctors will be given an evaluation certificate with register numbers, which is the license to practice Homoeopathy in UAE.

For help in preparing for the examination it is best to have a thorough knowledge in Practice of Medicine based on Davidson’s textbook. For familiarizing with the MCQ it is advisable to go to the questions from www.fleshandbones.com where a number of MCQs are given from Davidson’s as well as questions from US Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE). But remember that your practical knowledge is what counts especially in the interview.

One has to submit the application in person at the MOH office in Abu Dhabi with all the documentary evidences (For details visit our website “www.homedpa.com/events.htm”) and the prescribed fee (presently 50 UAE Dirham). The candidates have to bear the travel and other expenses for the trip and also make their own arrangements for their visa. Further clarification about all these can be had at the MOH website “www.moh.gov.ae ”.

Even though the system got official blessings in UAE very recently, Homoeopathy was never a stranger in the peninsula. Many people there depend on Homoeopathy for their treatment. While some of them bring medicines from their home countries a few go to clandestine (qualified) practitioners for this end.

It is reassuring to see that even the labor classes, who can’t miss even a day of their work, come to Homoeopathy for their ailments. One another factor is that the common illnesses met with here like UTI, RTI, infertility, Headache and alopecia are all responding wonderfully to the simple medicines.

The unique climate and life style being the main culprit, the task of the physician is made much easy.Another welcoming thing is the number of patrons coming up to sponsor Homoeopathic clinics. All the major healthcare establishments have started a Homoeopathic section also along with their institutions. The doctors already cleared by MOH and started their practice here sounded enthusiastic and hopeful about the future. The large Indian population also sounded relieved that at last they could get quality Homoeopathic treatment nearby.

One minor obstacle yet to be overcome is the problem with dispensing medicines.

As of now no permission is given to freely dispense the medicines by the physicians. Even if this is of vital importance to successful Homoeopathic practice the doctors here have to depend on sealed bottles of pre-medicated pills of a fixed dose, which is to be dispensed as a whole to the patient. The trouble with this is that often there won’t be the necessity of that much doses of medicine and it will eventually lead to over dosage. Another one being the heavy cost of these sealed bottle preparations, which jeoparadises the very claim of cost effectiveness of the system.

We hope the problems will be solved as the system grows up. Once the results start coming up the system will sustain itself as it has done in many other countries and the obstacles will be melted away one by one.

No one can do any kind of medical practice in UAE without a proper licence from the MOH/DOHMS/DHCC.

As all major cities of UAE are cosmopolitan in nature one get people of all walks and classes of life here. So there is never a shortage of supporters to the system. It is reassuring to see that even the labor classes, who can’t miss even a day of their work, come to Homeopathy for their ailments. Another pleasant surprise is the support by local/native population. One another factor is that the common illnesses met with here like UTI, RTI, infertility, Headache and alopecia etc. are responding wonderfully to the simple medicines. The unique climate and life style being the main culprit, the task of the physician is made much easy.

Another welcoming thing is the number of patrons coming up to sponsor Homeopathic clinics. All the major healthcare establishments have started a Homeopathic section also along with their institutions. The doctors who already cleared by MOH and started their practice here sounded enthusiastic and hopeful about the future. The large Indian population also sounded relieved that at last they could get quality Homeopathic treatment nearby.

One minor obstacle yet to be overcome is the problem with dispensing medicines. As of now no permission is given to freely dispense the medicines by the physicians. Even if this is of vital importance to successful Homeopathic practice the doctors here have to depend on sealed bottles of pre-medicated pills of a fixed dose, which is to be dispensed as a whole to the patient. The trouble with this is that often there won’t be the necessity of that much doses of medicine and it will eventually lead to over dosage. Another one being the heavy cost of these sealed bottle preparations, which jeopardizes the very claim of cost effectiveness of the system.

We hope the problems will be solved as the system grows up. Once the results start coming up the system will sustain itself as it has done in many other countries and the obstacles will be melted away one by one.

Please note that so far there are no government job opportunities in homeopathy in UAE, either in teaching or medical practice. In fact at present there is no teaching institutions in homeopathy in UAE except one private school which is an annex of a UK institution and offer a UK based certificate qualification only.

This article is brought in for the reference of all the doctors who would like to sit for the MOH examination.

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