Munich, Germany. The latest proposal from the German Ministry of Health offers hope for the preservation of homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine in the country’s health insurance system.
The third draft of the Health Care Strengthening Act no longer includes the passage on the removal of homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine as insurance benefits in Germany, reports the patients’ alliance “Weil’s hilft!” [Because it helps!] and the Society of Anthroposophic Doctors in Germany (GAÄD). The GAÄD sees this as the right step towards meeting the needs of patients, who have explicitly spoken out in favor of maintaining these statutory benefits in surveys and campaigns, such as the Bundestag petition by “Weil’s hilft!”
The aforementioned petition alone collected 195,616 signatures, thanks to which a hearing will take place on April 22 in the Petitions Committee of the Bundestag. There, the petition creator Stefan Schmidt-Troschke and Diana Steinmann from the Hannover Medical School will present the arguments for maintaining the statutory benefits and discuss them with the Members of Parliament and representatives of the Ministry of Health.
Ursula Hirt from the GAÄD sees the new draft bill as a positive sign. “However, as it is currently only a draft that has not even been approved by the Federal Cabinet, we remain cautious in our assessment and are keen to play a constructive role in further parliamentary deliberations,” says Hirt. “Personally, I think it would be astonishing if homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine were not also welcomed by politicians. They are part of German society with their children, relatives, friends, and their experiences in dealing with illness. They represent our society, in which there is a strong majority in favor of this medicine as it is practiced by doctors with the appropriate additional qualifications: as a second pillar in medicine, both of which stand alongside each other on an equal and complementary footing.”
More Weil’s hilft! and GAÄD
Translation Charles Cross
Image source Weil’s hilft!
