Vinnytsia Pirogov Memorial National Medical University (Ukraine): the contribution into the homoeopathy development - homeopathy360

Vinnytsia Pirogov Memorial National Medical University (Ukraine): the contribution into the homoeopathy development

Vinnytsia Pirogov Memorial National Medical University is one of the oldest and the most respectable State Higher Medical Schools in Ukraine. It was founded in 1921. Today the teaching staff of our University is 730 persons. Among them there are 97 Doctors of Medicine and 465 Candidates of Medicine,  31 Professors and 273 Associate Professors correspondently.

In 2006 the Course “The Bases of Homoeopathy” was at the first time introduced at Vinnytsia Pirogov Memorial National Medical University. I can’t but emphasize that it was Professor  Vasyl M.Moroz, MD PhD, the Rector of the University, Academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences of Ukraine who has introduced this subject into the educational schedule. Due to his progressive thinking and high professionalism in the field of medicine Professor Vasyl M.Moroz has estimated the significance of the realization on a world scale of the homoeopathy development strategy worked out by World Health Organization (WHO), European Committee for Homeopathy (ECH), Council of Europe and by Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine.
During two first academic years  homoeopathy was taught according to the Program approved by the Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine due to which the total amount of  the academic hours were 28  (14 hours of lectures and 14 hours of practical lessons). In May 2008 in the connection with the introduction of a new educational methodology (the European Credit – Transfer System – ECTS) a new Program on “The Bases of Homoeopathy” was approved by the  Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine. This Program comprises the main units of homoeopathy and is meant for 30 hours of practical lessons and 15 hours for students’ individual work. The lectures are not planned.
The aim of the course “The Bases of Homoeopathy” is the creation of the integral idea about the basic theoretical and methodological aspects of homoeopathy as well as acquiring skills of  its use in clinical conditions.
During the three academic years 1197 Ukrainian students and 246 foreign students from 31 countries studied homoeopathy. The teaching of foreign students was conducted in English and in Russian.
We teach homoeopathy to the 4-year students. They are the persons having already formed allopathic, fragmentary thinking as well as allopathic perception of a healthy and a sick person, his disease and the treatment way. They believe that allopathy is the only existing treatment way.
Usually at the first lesson we investigate the primary level of the students’ knowledge on homoeopathy and also their attitude to this subject offering them to fill in the brief questionnaire. During these years there were no student (neither Ukrainian nor foreign) who would be able to explain perfectly what homoeopathy is, what homoeopathic remedy is etc. at the first lesson. None of the 4-year students of our Medical University had also the right idea as for the principles of homoeopathy. At the best, the students who are going to become  allopathic doctors  consider  homoeopathy to be phytotherapy or folk medicine.
Three and half years of teaching “The Bases of Homoeopathy” at Vinnytsia Pirogov Memorial National Medical University resulted in the creation of our own methodological approaches to the forming the students’  correct integral idea about  homoeopathy as a  scientific method of treatment, a strong powerful therapeutic system which is based on the fundamental natural laws. The main points of  this approach are the following:
  1. At the first lessons homoeopathy should never be presented as the only correct method of treatment. At this stage it is very important just to inform  the students  that apart from allopathy the  other method of treatment does exist. It is very important to do it  in unobtrusive, diplomatic way.
  2. We use perfect scientific definition of homoeopathy and the definitions of other special homoeopathic terms.
  3. Our teaching homoeopathy is well-reasoned, based on the scientific data. It is very useful to inform the students in what classical or modern special literature, Internet-sources they can find the scientific grounds of homoeopathy.
  4. We pay special attention  to the explanation of the main principles of homoeopathy (provings on the healthy persons, Law of Similarity, tiny doses, dynamization) and the differences between allopathy and homoeopathy. To our mind, it is important to show the students that homoeopathy is based on the universal, fundamental natural laws and illustrate it by the examples from those fields of science which they have already studied: e.g. Philosophy, Mathematics, Physics, Biology, Physiology, Pharmacology.
  5. We also elucidate enough the modern state of homoeopathy in the world. It enhances significantly the rate of homoeopathy in students’ minds. I would like to demonstrate a lot of home and foreign homoeopathic journals and books, programs of the Liga Congresses and materials from other homoeopathic forums. So, the atmosphere of our lessons is constructive and scientific.
  6. Only after the third lesson when the students have got the knowledge on the principles and history of homoeopathy, homoeopathic pharmacopoeia and have a right idea about homoeopathy as a holistic, psychosomatic method I begin to demonstrate the patients. At the practical lessons my students and I are examining the patients and discussing each case comparing the perspectives of the use of allopathic and homoeopathic treatment.
I believe that the most important thing is to show the students those patients to whom homoeopathy had already brought healing. That gives the students the possibility to see not only patients’ present state during the examination but also the remote result of the homeotherapy.  To my mind, this approach is the best way of demonstration of the homoeopathic treatment effectiveness, its possibilities and its place in modern medical practice.
At the same time a peculiar feature of our course is the broad usage of the patients’ medical reports and video interviews (the convincing follow-up from 1 to 7 years).
Already after a few next lessons all the students turn into the supporters of homoeopathy understanding well the importance of the use of homoeopathy in the clinical practice. At the end of the course “The Bases of Homoeopathy” all the students are grateful for the knowledge obtained.
 Summary
  1. Methodological activity of the Course “The Bases of Homoeopathy” of Vinnytsia Pirogov Memorial National Medical University contributes to a great extent to working out in future doctors the adequate understanding of homoeopathy effectiveness, possibilities and its place in medical practice along with scientific grounding of this treatment method. So, Ministry of Public Health of Ukraine and Vinnytsia Pirogov Memorial National Medical University have made a significant contribution to the development of homoeopathy all over the world and have a prominent role in the implementation of the strategy of WHO, ECH and Council of Europe to integrate homoeopathy into official medicine in Ukraine and in other countries.
  2. Teaching homoeopathy at Vinnytsia Pirogov Memorial National Medical University during the last academic year showed that the absence of the lectures resulted in a decrease of the future doctors training quality. The introduction of the lectures in the students’ schedule again in 2009-2010 academic year has made  homoeopathy teaching at our University nearer to European teaching model and enhanced significantly the quality of the future doctors training.
  3. The Course “The Bases of Homoeopathy’’ should be taught in the scope of the Evidence-Based Medicine.

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