A government homeopathy medical college in Bhopal on Monday night claimed to have treated as many as six Covid-19 patients successfully, prompting public health experts to raise objections against such a treatment. They also demanded an immediate ban the trial.
“Six coronavirus infected patients who were admitted on May 14 are returning home having recovered from the disease. These included two children also whose parents were positive. These children too were given homeopathy medicines. No alloepathy medicine was given to children. They were only given homoepathy medicines,” a communiqué from district administration said on Monday.
The communiqué quoted Dr Manoj Kumar Sahu as saying, “After knowing detailed history of all these patients homoepathy medicines were selected and the dose was decided. The result was surprising. After taking homeopathy medicines there was fast improvement in the condition of the patients and none of the patients needed oxygen support.”
As per the official information, as many as 47 patients are still being treated at the homeopathy medical college.
But health experts have questioned the treatment. “World health organisation (WHO)’s protocol of treatment talks about treatment only through specific alloepathy medicines. The advisory from AYUSH department of government of India is for consumption of Ayurveda decoction is only to boost the immunity of patients and others. As far as a clinical trial on Covid-19 patients through any alternative system of medicines is concerned no such trial has been allowed by Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) so far,” public health expert Amulya Nidhi said.
Demanding a ban on such a trial, Nidhi further said, “Such a trial and claim on successful treatment through homeopathy are not only dangerous for patients being treated this way but others also in the state and other parts of the country. The central government and the state government both are making appeals to people repeatedly to come forward to get themselves examined at alloepathy hospitals if they have any suspected symptom of Coronavirus. Such a claim on successful treatment through homeopathy may result in a section of people with Covid-19 symptoms avoiding going to government hospitals or any alloepathic doctor and relying on homeopathy treatment on their own.”
Dr SN Shukla of the homeopathy medical college’s research wing said, “We are following all the protocol and guidelines of WHO in treating the patients. I can’t tell what medicines we are giving and what we are not giving. It’s the state government which earmarked our hospital as Covid care centre more than 10 days back.
He also said that they are treating the patients in a scientific manner and with successful results.
