Here we are, the moment for the second storyboard has come!
Another month full of experiences, exchanges, new meetings and discoveries.
The most important moment of these last weeks it has been the congress about Non-Conventional Medicines. It lasted the full day of the 28th of October. It welcomed professionals and students of Naturopathy, Osteopathy, Chinese Medicine, and Hypnology. But also journalists and some representatives of the most influents political parties of Portugal.
What does Non-Conventional therapist asked for? Basically they claimed for an Institutional recognition.
They underlined the paradox between the real public demands for alternative therapies and the lack of Institutionalization of these practices in Public Structures (Hospitals, Clinics, Nursing homes).
The main objection of the Institutional representatives of the medical sector is that the Public Services main care is to apply on referenced professionals; and the University degree is the reference.
That means that until Non-Conventional medicines will not be part of University’s degrees, they will not be able to gain a social recognition.
Things become more complicated when we discover that to create a university course the main requirement is teachers with a PhD degree.
Accordingly to this the situation has no issue! Unless rules doesn’t change!
What may lean a social and political evolution of the situation? Just a “real need” they said.
In my opinion the only thing that may make things change is the official measurement of an economical affordability of the insertion of these therapies in the medical public system.
Moreover, I think that a concrete change will appear only through a communitarian movement. Nationalism doesn’t help.
I found these topic very touching to me. Mainly because one of my aim is to act for a closer collaboration between conventional and non-conventional therapies.
In France the situation is not far from the one I found here in Portugal. In both countries I notice that collaboration or opposition is up to the individual more than to the Institution.
Stopping the “fight” because of the complexity of the situation? Not at all.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, people say. Feeling discouraged and giving up is not the solution.
I really think dialogue and collaboration is possible. I prefer to go on and acting for complementation. Results become evidences and evidences lead changes. Time will tell how and when.
Apart from this, these last weeks in the IPN I started to attend the clinical practices with the students of the IIIrd and the IVth year. It has be a very interesting new activity. I could appreciate some differences between my training in France and the one proposed in this school.
The main difference is the contribution in the IPN of some therapeutical tools coming from the Traditional Chinese Medicine. Really enriching! Mainly because Miss Maya allowed me to follow some courses here where I can learn how to manage and use these kind of tools.
About the public: more or less people that ask for this kind of approach and remedies is the same I experienced in France. The only difference is that the reduced price demanded to be attended by students supervised by a teacher (only 12 euros), allows people with a small salary to have access to this kind of care. A very interesting initiative!
My involvement in the school and in the social tissue of Lisbon is going on positively. I start feeling more like home. The level of my Portuguese is increasing, so that Miss Maia proposed me to take a moment to think about a more active involvement in her Institution! I’m so happy about.
More news about that in the next storyboard!
