Confessions of a Quackbuster

This blog deals with healthcare consumer protection, and is therefore about quackery, healthfraud, chiropractic, and other forms of so-Called "Alternative" Medicine (sCAM).

Monday, March 28, 2005

Homeopathy meet ends in a dramatic fashion

Ludhiana Newsline
Monday , March 28, 2005


Homeopathy meet ends in a dramatic fashion

The agenda of more than 2,000 pages, featuring 67 items, was torn and burnt at the meeting held in New Delhi

Express News Service

Ludhiana, March 27: THE 38th meeting of the Central Council of Homeopathy (CCH) in New Delhi recently ended in a strange manner when the agenda of more than 2,000 pages, featuring 67 items, was torn and burnt.

The meeting was held under Dr S.P.S. Bakshi. The agenda was torn and burnt in the House by Dr P.S. Ranu and Dr V.K. Dhawan, members of CCH from Punjab and Haryana respectively, on the issue of the inspection report dated November 30, 2004 of Bakson’s Homeopathic Medical College and Hospital owned by Dr S.P.S. Bakshi, president of the Central Council.

In a press release issued here today, Dr P.S. Ranu, member, CCH, who is also the chairman of the Punjab Homeopathic Council, Dr Jai Ram Rai and Dr V.K. Dhawan, members from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana respectively, said they took up the issue in the meeting that there were two inspection reports of the Bakson Homeopathic Medical College on the record, where one was signed and the other was unsigned without the names of the inspectors.

They said the Executive Committee of CCH in its meeting held on January 27 took up the matter and categorically mentioned the matter of the two reports and gave its decision on the signed report only after rejecting the unsigned one.

The members demanded a CBI probe in the matter as the unsigned report was printed on a computer generated letterhead of the Bakson’s Homeopathic Medical College, which was the institution in question for inspection.

They said this clearly reflected that the report was prepared beforehand by the college on its own computer and the inspectors had just signed the same.

As the college belonged to the president of the Central Council it was a serious issue and needed investigation, stated the members of CCH.

Getting annoyed on the descent note of these members, the president and vice-president outright refused to take up their descent note on record and the agonised members tore away the agenda in the house, stating it was a murder of democratic rights in the CCH.

As a protest, Dr P.S. Ranu, member of CCH from Punjab, burnt the agenda in the house and there were slogans against president Dr S.P.S. Bakshi and there began a clash between the supporters of the president and these members which led to the closure of the meeting within 45 minutes.

The meeting was hushed up by saying that all agenda stood passed by the supporters of the president, who enjoys the mandate in the General House.

After the meeting, a delegation of the dissident group of members of CCH led by Dr Ranu, who is also the key witness of the Commission of Inquiry, met Tara Datta, Joint Secretary, Department of Ayush, to apprise him about the situation of the CCH and demanded that the meeting be held under the supervision of the government observers.

The delegation alleged that as the office-bearers of CCH were under the scanner of the Commission, they had no moral right to hold a meeting till the final decision of the Commission.

The meeting had allegedly been held to clear certain crucial issues to save their skin and would allegedly hamper the finding of the Commission.

The authorities reportedly assured action and have asked comments from the Secretary of CCH on the complaint of the delegation of the CCH members.