This issue of ECHAMP e-News puts the patients of homeopathy and complementary medicine to the forefront – their wishes, their fundamental rights, their legitimate requests, their satisfaction and how they are organised to communicate all this to their representatives in the European Union. Increasingly, patients expect health care providers to provide treatment in line with their choices and their beliefs. They ask for complementary medicine to be integrated into health care policy.

The European decision makers are fully aware of the need to listen to what the patients want. Their input is the basis for developing an effective health care policy that best meets the needs of the citizens. ECHAMP looks forward to seeing how the new Commissioner for health - who recently stressed the importance of the patients’ voice in his hearing session before the European Parliament - will put this into practice, and to what extent the strong voice of the millions of citizens who choose complementary medicine will be heard in the European Parliament. The need to respect their opinions and choices, and their request for the integration of complementary medicine into health care policy will be high on the agenda of the third EU Homeopathy Day, to be held in the European Parliament in Brussels on 23 March. We look forward to good discussions between the citizens and their representatives in Brussels.

Nand De Herdt
President of ECHAMP

Third EU Homeopathy Day in the European Parliament
The third EU Homeopathy Day will be hosted by Marian Harkin MEP in the European Parliament on 23 March. It will focus on the need to respect the choices and preferences of the 100 million users of homeopathy and anthroposophic medicine in Europe and to act on their request for the integration of homeopathy and complementary medicine into health care policy.
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The growing influence of patient organisations at EU level
John Dalli, Commissioner-designate for Health and Consumer Policy (SANCO), has underlined the important and central role of patients and their organisations in health policy development and the acute need to develop mechanisms to strengthen and support patient groups. Christine Marking tracks the history and growing influence of the patients’ voice in EU affairs.
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What homeopathic patients want
Patients have a fundamental right to patient-centred health care that respects their needs, preferences and values. Although most EU countries have made statements about the importance of patients’ views and needs when planning health care, when it comes to homeopathy, little or no provision is made. There are three simple things patients want, argues Enid Segall, President of the European Federation of Homeopathic Patients Associations.
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Homeopathy and patient satisfaction
A substantial proportion of patients are satisfied with homeopathic intervention because they perceive homeopathy as an effective treatment with few if any adverse effects, their general sense of well-being and quality of life improve considerably and they are able to reduce or discontinue their conventional medication – Dr Ton Nicolai reviews the observational studies that look at patients’ satisfaction with homeopathy.
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Complementary medicine and patients’ rights
Patients’ rights have been generally recognised in the European Union and some of these rights have been specifically addressed or mentioned in legislation or case law. However, the right for patients to complementary and alternative health care has not been explicitly recognised. Lawyer Johan Hulshof reviews the history of human rights in the EU with a particular look at the right of access to complementary and alternative medicine.
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Editor: Karen Chapman, ECHAMP PR and Communications Consultant