TM-COMPLEMENTARY AND INTEGRATIVE MEDICINE IN SERBIA 

Ass. Prof. Dr.Momir Dunjic1

Prof. Dr. Slavisa Stanisic2

(1 University Alma Mater EuropeECM ; Maribor, Slovenia; School of Medicine, University of Pristina in Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia; 2 Faculty of Pharmacy, Novi Sad, Serbia; University Alma Mater Europe ECM; Maribor, Slovenia;  School of Medicine, University of Pristina in Kosovska Mitrovica, Serbia, 2017 IATC participant)

The paper is concerned with the presentation of the methods and position of traditional medicine (TM) worldwide, as well as the issue of the education and position of TM in health care systems. There is a review of TM methods as viewed by the Law on Health Care of the Republic of Serbia (LHCRS), with a brief revision of the educative criteria. The attention is drawn to the flaws of the Ordinance of the detailed conditions for the TM performance of health services in health facilities and other forms of health care services (Ordinance): namely, the absence of a national strategy for education, licensing and refunding from social insurance funds, as well as the proposal how to overcome these flaws.  

A great deal of statistical information indicates the increase of public interest for some form of TM, both in developing countries and most advanced ones (31% Belgium, 90% Canada).

The World Health Organization (WHO), by means of a certain number of resolutions adopted in regional conferences held in Alma Alta (1978) and the policy ‘’Health for All by the year 2000” and ‘’Beijing declaration’’ (2008), sets, as one of its primary goals, the program of TM integration into the established medical practice, while advising its members to identify, develop and formulate their national strategy for TM.

LHCRS (Official Gazette- OG RS, 107\05) as well as the TM Ordinance (OG RS, 119\07), regulate the field of TM, enabling every patient to be timely informed by the medical professional in charge about possible conventional and TM methods for treating his\her condition.    

As for Serbia, 250 licenses have been issued for the practice in some of TM disciplines, equaling to only 0.66%, which can be taken only as making first steps towards their full implementation. 

In Serbia, the education for certain fields of TM has been carried out through a continual medical education (CME), in the form of the courses designed for doctors, dentist and pharmacists, and in accordance with licensed educational programs from various fields of TM approved by the Health Council of Serbia (the highest authority responsible for CME). Serbian health authorities also accept foreign academic degrees from higher education organizations that have legal status to conduct such education. 

The question of TM knowledge and titles acquisition can be resolved in cooperation with the Ministry for Health and Sport, through the introduction of supplementary TM tuition, alongside with specialist, subspecialist and other academic enhancement, into medical schools, colleges and high schools syllabuses, and with the prospect of establishing a TM university. 

There are specific legislative procedures applying to the registration and control of diagnostic and therapeutic TM methods at health care centers.

Serbian legislative procedures, relating to the products and medical means used in TM, are being aligned with European directives- Directive 92\73\EEC, now part of Directive 2001\83\EC.

All the issues that have not been regulated yet by the Ordinance should be settled as soon as possible, by providing the recommendations for the Ordinance amendments.

As a Presidents of ECIM 2014 (7th European Congress of Integrative Medicine) in Belgrade we initiated our goals in Belgrade Declaration we presented on Congress and on the Board of European Society of Integrative Medicine:

Health is not just the absence of disease; it is a state of physical, mental, emotional spiritual and social well-being. 

There is a permanent need to transform health care in order to keep the health. Employing a personalized strategy that considers the patient’s unique conditions, needs and circumstances, it uses the most appropriate interventions from an array of scientific disciplines to heal illness and disease and help people regain and maintain optimum health and prevent negative environmental influences that affect a person’s health. 

The only way to achieve this strategy is to move the boundaries of the existing field of medicine towards including the wisdom inherent in healing the whole person -mind, body and spirit.  It can be done only through Integrative medicine that makes use of all appropriate therapeutic approaches, healthcare professionals and disciplines to achieve optimal health and healing and where the patient is the center of all activities.

On the 6th ECIM, 2013, Berlin, Germany, the initiative for defining and acceptance declaration ( BELGRADE DECLARATION) was adopted,  related to establishing  European Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine (ECAHCIM).

This initiative has been strongly supported by Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine (CAHCIM), Washington, USA.

The participants of ECIM 2014 recognized the importance of defining mission and vision to bring the experience, expertise and valuable methods of Integrative Medicine in order to improve the health of patients around Europe.

Mission

To improve the quality of medical care by preserving and advancing the principles and practices of integrative healthcare within academic institutions, health service, governments and other relevant regulatory institutions worldwide Europe .

By accepting and signing the Belgrade Declaration these institutions would become members of European Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine (ECAHCIM).

Mission incorporates the prevention of diseases through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles and systematic application of natural resources by trained physicians of integrative medicine.

Vision

Education of medical providers and patients will allow them to understand the value and integrate into their clinical practice the time-proven methods of Integrative medicine. 

This is particularly important because the European aging population requires an integrated approach to treat effectively many chronic diseases and to improve the quality of life.

Plan is to achieve goal by establishing coordinated educational and training efforts.

Goal is to engage the finest international experts in the field of Integrative medicine and to task them with developing the best training and educational materials. 

These experts will work in a collaborative manner. They will adhere to the highest ethical standards and work steadfast to bring mission to fruition. Also, they will respect any regional, cultural and ethnic differences. 

All educational materials will be available to those who seek knowledge and who consider the best interest of their patients as their primary goal. 

The educational materials will also be available to all patients who want to improve their health. 

Collaborative endeavor is not only duty, but also a tribute to many of those who dedicated their lifetime work to this cause. 

This work will be a great honor to continue for the benefit of eliminating diseases, and improving health and well-being of people around Europe.

Project Outline

It is recognized that this long-term project of introducing and implementing all authoritative institutions and professionals that are dealing with Quality of Life will be implemented in different phases, including  harmonization with paradigm  of great clinical relevance.

As the first step in this long process, the following points for future work are:

•Transforming Health Care educational program (e.g. schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and allied health) worldwide Europe by incorporation of sufficent information related to evidence-based knowledge of Complementary Medicine.

•Recognition of the sacred and healing nature of the relationships between patients and health care providers and acknowledge that humanism, compassion and caring are central to health and healing.

•Recognition that the empowered patient is the responsible central actor in healing, self-care and prevention and that person’s right about making decision related to the choice of healing is the imperative for medical provider.

•Organizing health care system that creates an environment which supports healing relationships and recognizes that in order to be healing and empowering, healers themselves must be restored and whole.

•Support truly integrative medicine that offers the highest standards of excellence in a full and complete array of care modalities

•Embracement of the spiritual dimension of life and acknowledgement of the importance of context and intention in the healing process for patients, caregivers and medical providers.

•Belief in giving voice to the patient, in the openness of healers and in honest and supportive communications among all members of the Health Care  Community

•Support the efforts of medical providers to develop open - minded integrative approach, which is as important as medical knowledge and technical skills to the process of healing.

•Dedication to the change necessary to bring about the achievement in an optimal healing environment expressing the need for urgent action by European Council, all European countries’ governments, European Academy of Science and Art, European Universities, European  Health Care institutions, and all health and development workers that could be  inside the European Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine (ECAHCIM) in order to protect and promote the health of  all people around  Europe.

Serbian Association of Integrative medicine - SAIM according to our mision ang goals:

1.Organize acrdited Courses of Acupuncture, Quantuum Medicine, Bi-Digital O-Ring Test –BDORT (together with College of Acupuncture&Electro-Therapeutics, NYC, NY USA); Homeopathy (together with Goverment School of Medicne , Department of Homeopathy, Russia ). We organize education in Serbia, Slovenia, and soon in Greece. We have a first contract for developing Complementary Medicine with countries of BRICS.

2.Organize research in integrative together with Schools of Medicne and related Faculties.

3.As a lider in our region we help in forming Associations of Integrative Medicne in some countries of South east Euroepe.

4.Help in makig acreditated programm on Pharmaceutical Faculty in subject  Integrative Medicne according to new European standard.

5.Help in acreditation and establishing the Master program of Integrative medicine in Slovenia (EU) on AMEU-ECM.

We are very happy that Chinese Government initiated this Advanced course and education in TCM. We have many expectations of this meeting:

1.To meet each others 

2.To exchange our ideas about TCM and other complementary medicine

3.To learn about recent scientific research from researchers from country which is a lider  in TCM as a country of origin of TCM 

4.To talk about strategies how to improve the status of TCM 

5.To talk about mutual multicentral research in TCM and Integrative Medicine

6.We expect from Chinese government to use political influence to improve status of TCM in European countries

7.We expect that Chinese government will help in sending experts in our countries within our education to increase the quality of our education