NHRA to regulate alternative medicine practice

Manama : The National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) is keen on regulating complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practice -- Ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, Unani medicine, naturopathy, homeopathy, and herbal therapy -- in the Kingdom.  To achieve this end, a team which included members from other GCC countries, visited practitioners of this medicine in India and China.

“We had a meeting with traditional Chines medicine specialists.  It was aimed at defining the specialists in China on Chinese traditional medicine and to come up with a recommendation to extent recognition in line with  the free trade agreement between GCC and China,”  said Namat Mubarak Al Subaie, Advisor/Consultant of Allied Medical Profession, NHRA, who represented Bahrain in this mission to promote and regulate the alternative medicines in Bahrain.

The visit was as part of the regulations proposed by NHRA at a meeting in April last year to standardise licensing CAM facilities and alternative medicines at a GCC forum.

“The team visited China earlier this year as a part of their mission to explore the possibilities of traditional medicines,” said Namat.

The team also visited Kottakkal Arya Vaidya Sala in Kerala to develop the existing Ayurveda medical practice in Bahrain. “The visit to Kerala was interesting and the whole GCC team was inspired by the rich heritage and the method used by them to cure diseases,” said Namat adding that they also saw a Bahraini in-patient at the Arya Vaidya Sala hospital.

NHRA is the health care regulatory body in the Kingdom.