Berlin, Germany. The “Weil’s hilft!” (Because it helps!) initiative has succeeded in collecting 50,000 signatures in favor of keeping Germany’s healthcare benefits for homeopathic and anthroposophic medicine within the statutory four-week period. An interview with the campaign’s initiator, Stefan Schmidt-Troschke.
Were you surprised by the result? How do you consider the outcome of the petition?
I didn’t really have a feeling about it at first. After all, it’s about reaching a lot of people in a very short space of time and convincing them to actively support the initiative. Basically, I think there is great potential within the population, and we can also hope for a high number of offline signatures. The unambiguous result confirms our assessment that a large proportion of the population highly values homeopathy, as well as other complementary methods such as anthroposophic medicine.
How will the process now continue in parliament?
At the end of April, we will have the opportunity to publicly discuss our concerns with the Petitions Committee and members of the Federal Government. We hope that this will enable us to influence the legislative process in parliament. At present, we do not have a draft of the planned law with which the announced restrictions on the reimbursement of homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine are to be implemented. It is also not yet clear in which context further regulations would be implemented.1
What can those interested do to continue to support this?
It is crucial that we become a growing community of people in civil society who join forces and register with “Weil’s hilft” and “Gesundheit aktiv” [Active Health, another patient advocacy organization]. From there, we call for further actions, such as approaching the respective members of parliament in their own constituency. We provide assistance and further suggestions. It is important that politicians, health insurance companies, and all other players in the healthcare system understand this: Health-related services are for the citizens. They know best what is good for their health and what is not. They must be able to participate as equals, and our campaign is an important step in the right direction.
More Weil’s hilft
Translation Charles Cross
Title image Globules; Photo Sofia Lismont
Footnotes
- Editor’s note: A draft was eventually given that did not include the anticipated regulations. Read about this in “Will Homeopathy Stay?”, the Goetheanum Weekly, Issue 16, 2024.
