THE CRUCIAL LINK: REPORTS FROM THE NATIONAL VICE–PRESIDENTS

The following reports were taken from information submitted by the representatives and National Vice Presidents of Argentina, Cuba, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine

Argentina
Dr. Micaela Moizé, NVP

In the Argentine Republic, Homeopathy is largely developed both in doctor's practices as well as in teaching. There are 7 homeopathic schools with regular courses of 3 years duration and also intensive courses for doctors of the interior of the country, as well as from Spanish and Portuguese speaking foreign countries. In 1995, the Argentine Homeopathic Medical Federation was created in order to unify the three most important institutions of the country: The Argentine Homeopathic Medical Association, The Argentine Homeopathic Medical School "Tomás Pablo Paschero", and The Center of Hahnemannian Homeopathic Medical Studies of Cordoba. The purpose is spreading, clarifying and defending Homeopathy within the country and establishing the common regulations for teaching.

The second congress of the Federation of Homeopathic Medical Associations will take place in Huerta Grande, Cordoba, from September 30 to October 3. In 2004, our country will host the LMHI Congress.

Argentina has several works written by distinguished homeopaths: Doctors Paschero, Vijnovsky, Draiman, Moizé, Yahbes, Ambros, Casale, Eizayaga, E. Candegabe, Bronfman and Detinis, among others.

Scientific magazines are published for doctors and also for the general public, thus generating an exchange with schools of other countries. For further information, please refer to Internet http://www.drwebsa.com.ar/amha.

Homeopathy in Argentina has not been legally recognized. There are no courses about it given at state Universities either. This is true even though there are specialized professors who are solicited internationally to teach.

The practice of homeopathy is allowed and must be done specifically by medical doctors graduated from medical school.

CUBA
Dr. Mayra Riveron Garrote, NVP

The L.M.H.I. in Cuba has worked intensively in the perfecting of its affiliates, through the following actitivities:

The first national diplomate in homeopathy was organized for the medical specialties with the assistance of 120 physicians, 72 pharmacists, 25 dentists, 70 veterinarians, a total of 287 graduates. All the diplomate professors were active Liga members.

In such courses, the Cuban school lectures on the scientific foundations of homeopathy, homeopathic pharmacy, pharmacodynamics (materia medica), human and veterinarian clinics, amongst others.

Our associates have published scientific articles in national journals (Revista Cubana de Medicina General Integral) and in foreign journals from Mexico, Brazil and Italy. Three urban research documents have been incorporated to the Hospital Virtual of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Research contributions were presented for the II Symposium of Medicinal Plants, Science and Homeopathy, Havana November 1997. Also present were homeopaths from Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela.

The First National Homeopathic Congress received 200 Cuban delegates and 55 from Italy, Brazil, Columbia, Belgium, Spain, Argentina, Uruguay and Venezuela, among others nations. In the event, Cuba's Public Health Minister participated and offered a welcome dinner.

Our country was visited by the distinguished Dr Jacques Imberechts at the conclusion of the Santiago de Cuba course. He participated in the National Congress, also in the II Multigroup Seminar, and the donation -with Dr Elio Rosi- of a computerized Radar program for the development of this specialty in Pinar del Rio.

Members of our association were invited to participate in the following international events: 1st National Congress of Homeopatia de Mexico AC, XXI General Assembly of Homeopatia de Mexico AC, 1st Congress of Homeopathic Pharmacy in Brazil, and the 56 Panamerican Homeopathic Congress at Argentina where we presented the strategies of the Ministry of Health of Cuba related to the development of homeopathy.

New homeopathic dispensaries were successfully inaugurated in Cuba.

In Havana 17,000 homeopathic prescriptions were dispensed and in the rest of the nation up to 24,000 prescriptions.

5 new pharmacies were incorporated to dispense prescriptions of homeopathic medicines, and a manual with the technical standards for their elaboration.

We have officially named an advisor group for the development of homeopathy in the Ministry of Public Health of Cuba, with a national character and conformed by professionals from 5 states of the republic. It's represented by a member of the LMHI.

In recent elections for the three year period 1998-2001, Dr. Mayra Riveron Garrote was elected National Vice President and Dr. Jorge Luis Alvarez Alvarez as Vice President Assistant

Professionals from all the nation's states have sent requests for admission as members of the L.M.H.I., in their majority, graduates from the national and provincial diplomates.

PERSPECTIVES FOR 1998.

The III Symposium of Medicinal Plants, Science and Homeopathy as been organized and announced for October 1998.

The II National Homeopathic Congress has been organized for July 21 - 23, 1999.

The First International Conference on Research in Homeopathic Pharmacology has been announced for November 24 - 27, 1998.

We are working on the edition of the Cuban Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia, and have elaborated the technical norms for pharmacists.

The First Congress of the Cuban Society of Bioenergetic and Naturalist Medicine has been organized for February 1999, where there is a strong representation of homeopaths and with the participation of all of the members of the Liga in Cuba.

GEORGIA
Dr. Nikoloz Gujabidze, NVP

Monthly meetings of the Georgian LMHI members continue regularly. Three public unions have merged into a Scientific Coordination Council on April 5th 1997. The Council includes all the local members and candidates of the LMHI. Dr. N. Gujabidze was elected in absentia (he was at the Berlin Homœopaths for the World Congress, at this time) the Chairman of the said Council.

Dr. J. Imberechts has visited us in May 1997 giving seminars, and took 11 new applications to LMHI with him.

Dr. T. Aladashvili has published a book about homeopathy in Georgian. The Georgian Health Department has opened an office for traditional medicine, covering the homeopathic activities here.

In October 1997, Dr. N. Gujabidze, the only Georgian LMHI Member, was admitted to seminar studies at the Academy of Classical Homeopathy led by Dr. G. VIthoulkas in Alonissos, Greece. It was made possible thanks to financial support from the Hahnemann Institute, Germany, headed by Dr. R. Rosé.

Next year several Georgian homeopaths intend to take part in the Amsterdam Congress. Presently our League is looking for a sponsor to support our delegation at the Congress. Although we are aware that LMHI does not function as a donor organization, we would be very much obliged and thankful for freeing members of our delegation from registration fee payments.

We are elaborating the conception for the Georgian School for Homeopathy for educating our personnel in Georgia.

We would welcome the visit of the LMHI President Dr. Sandra M. Chase to our country at any time convenient for her.

RUSSIA
Dr. Nikolay Zamarenov, NVP
Dr. Yrina Bauriakova, Assistant NVP

Homeopathy in Russia has developed greatly during the last two years. The Ministry of Healthcare organized the second All-Russian session of representatives of the Medical Departments of Administration of Russian Federation Regions with the participation of representatives of homeopathic associations, societies and doctors of homeopathy in January 1998. This session was devoted to the question of the legalization of the medical specialty "Doctor of Homœopathy". The necessity of introducing this speciality in the nearest future was confirmed by all participants.

A big help for homeopaths was made by the Government Scientific - Organized Homeopathic Center and the Coordination Council for Homeopathy of Ministry of Healthcare.

The Russian Homeopathic Association held its own Annual 7th Homeopathic Congress in May 1997.

The Russian Homeopathic Society conducted its own 2nd Homeopathic Congress with Boiron in January 1997.

The Moscow Homeopathic Association organized its own Homeopathic Congress devoted to the 850 year Anniversary of the city of Moscow in September 1997.

In some regions of Russia, local homeopathic conferences were held in 1997, such as: Krasnodar, Orengburg, Inrutsk, Samara, St. Petersurg, Stavropol, Saratov, etc.

The Federal Program of scientific research in homeopathy in Russia until the year 2000 was elaborated by leading Homeopathic organizations with the Government's Medical Institutions and Centers. It was adopted by the Ministry of Healthcare in December 1997 owing to the big efforts of the Coordination Council for Homeopathy.

UKRAINE
Prof. Natalija E. Kostinskaya, NVP

There are Ukrainian Charitable Fund "Followers of Homeopathy" (380 members) and Odessa Charitable Fund "Followers of Homeopathy" (35 members) in our country. There are homeopathic associations in Charkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Krivoy Rog. Kiev Homeopathic Society is in the process of registration.

Since 1992, Homeopathy has been taught at the Kiev Medical Institute of the Ukrainian Association of Alternative Medicine. There is a Chair of Homeopathy at this Institute (144 hours program). Since 1994, homeopathy has been taught at all the State Medical Institutes (36 hours program) and at some Medical Institutes of postgraduate education. In 1997 the Faculty of Homeopathy at the Institute "Protos" was founded. Only medical doctors can practice Homeopathy in Ukraine.

There are homeopathic rubrics in the journals: The World of the Natural Medicine, The Nature Cures, Biologic Medicine, Folk and Non-traditional Medicine. In the journal of the Pharmacological Committee of the Ukrainian Ministry of Public Health Pharmacological Herald, two reports on experimental and clinical research in Homeopathy were published. The article "LMHI and development of Homeopathy in Ukraine" was submitted to the Biologic Medicine. Since 1996, Hahnemann's Readings are organized in Kiev every April. This year the Readings will take place on April 11. At the Chair of Homeopathy of Kiev Medical Institute, the scientific trials "Clinical and experimental research of the efficiency of homeopathic remedies in case of erysipelas" have been conducted for three years.

In 1995, the Normative Documentation on registration of homeopathic medicines in Ukraine was adopted. In December 1997, the question of simplified registration of homeopathic mono-remedies was settled.