British MP's report says Homeopathy should not be funded by NHS
Posted on Feb 23, 2010 by Sergio Ulloa (G+)
British parliament's science and technology committee, headed up by chairman Phil Willis, has finished a new report on National Health Service funding for homeopathic treatments and come to the conclusion that the funding should stop. The committee of MPs said that since there is no evidence that homeopathic treatments work better than a placebo, the NHS should cease providing funds for homeopathic hospitals and that doctors in the NHS system should not refer patients to homeopaths. The chairman of the committee held that prescribing placebos like homeopathy in the NHS is ethically dubious and may destabilize relationships between doctors and patients. The committee also forwarded the idea that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) should bar homeopathic treatments from displaying medical claims on their labels. The report came out against further funding for homeopathic research as well. On top of the NHS currently providing funds for homeopathic treatments, certain insurance plans from AXA PPP and Bupa as well as other private medical insurers and cash plan providers will cover homeopathy, although the extent of coverage may vary between insurance plans as well as on a case by case basis. Companies Mentioned: AXA PPP Originally PPP Insurance, it became part of the Global AXA Group in 1999 and changed its name to AXA PPP in 2002. AXA PPP is now an international health insurance company with over 2 million customers around the world. BUPA BUPA is an international health insurance company that provides health insurance for individuals and companies all over the world. This company has offices on three continents and over 7 million customers' world wide. As a provident association BUPA has no shareholders, because of this it uses its profits to invest in healthcare and medical facilities around the world.