In the last quarterly world report, it was reported that government funding for pediatric chiropractic care would cease July 1, 2002 in Manitoba. Following a major rebellion by patients and representations from the Canadian Chiropractic Association and the Manitoba Chiropractic Association, the government reversed its decision.
Germany
Germany legally neither regulates nor recognizes chiropractic. DCs are recognized as heilpraktikers, and a variety of natural health practitioners are free to use the title "chiropractor," regardless of their education and background.
The 45-member German Chiropractors' Association (GCA) represents the great majority of duly qualified DCs; the German Heilpraktikers' Association (GHA) represents several hundred members, enlisting European and North American DCs to provide postgraduate chiropractic technique seminars.
Israel
There is still no completed law to regulate the practice of chiropractic in Israel because the Israeli Chiropractic Society (ICS), with the support WFC, continues to refuse to accept a scope of practice that does not include diagnosis and protecting the right of primary contact practices. Anyone wanting to practice as a chiropractor, however, must receive a certificate of recognition from the Israeli Ministry of Health. In recent years the ministry has accepted CCE accreditation of an applicant's college as an appropriate basis for a certificate.
Earlier this year the ministry made a unilateral decision not to recognize CCE accreditation, plunging the situation into confusion. Certificates were refused for some new graduates, and renewal of certificates was refused for others. The ICS sued the ministry of health and the official in charge. At a July 24 hearing, the court expressed sympathy for the ICS position that CCE standards should be accepted in Israel if this was generally the case internationally. The case was adjourned for six months so that a joint ministry of health/ICS Committee could review the regulation of chiropractic and perhaps reach a political solution. At the request of the ICS, the WFC, CCE International and the European Chiropractors' Union are providing evidence to the joint committee meetings that commenced in October. The two ICS representatives are past president Dr. David Naiss, and Dr. Rafi Goldman.
Italy
Hard-fought legal recognition for the chiropractic profession in Italy is finally on the legislative agenda. As part of the campaign being led by the Associazione Italiana Chiropratici (AIC) under its president, Dr. Eddy Pellissier, the WFC and several of its national member associations wrote letters of support to Italian President Silvio Berlusconi, European Commission President Romano Prodi, and several other senior political figures during August. Negotiations continue. No final decisions have been made by the Italian government. The AIC continues to have good access to, and close contact with, the key legislators, and remains optimistic for success.
The Netherlands
In recent years there has been an ongoing battle by the Netherlands Chiropractors Association (NCA) to retain the legal right for chiropractors to take and interpret skeletal x-rays. This gives particular importance to a new study by Annemarie de Zoete,DC, Willem Assendelft,MD,PhD, et al., "Reliability and Validity of Lumbosacral Spine Radiograph Reading by Chiropractors, Chiropractic Radiologists, and Medical Radiologists" (Spine 2002;27:1926-1933). The study concluded: "There is no reason to restrict interpretation of radiographs to medical radiologists."
This study, first presented at the WFC Congress in Paris last year, involved five chiropractors, three chiropractic radiologists and five medical radiologists reading a set of 300 blinded lumbosacral radiographs, 50 of which showed an abnormality. There was no significant difference between the chiropractic and medical radiologists. Chiropractors without speciality qualifications performed slightly less well, but it was concluded that this was of "little clinical relevance," and that "all the professional groups could adequately detect contraindications to chiropractic treatment on radiographs."
Romania
For a period in the early 1990s, the International Chiropractors' Association established chiropractic services and humanitarian aid in Romania. Currently, none of Romania's four doctors of chiropractic are in the country. Drs. Alexandru Nitu and Mari Nitu, Palmer College graduates, are understood to be in the U.S.; Drs. Gabriel Preutu and Gabriela Chirila, AECC graduates, are practicing in the UK.
Dr. Preutu plans to return to his home, Romania, and visits regularly. He has recently reported the disturbing development in Romania under which the medical profession is seeking recognition for both chiropractic and osteopathy as postgraduate specialities in medicine. It is obviously difficult for him, the ECU or the WFC to significantly influence this matter in the absence of a clinical and political presence inside Romania. This is part of a growing problem in Central Europe. Spinal manipulation is already designated under the medical act in Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary, none of which recognize or regulate the practice of chiropractic. (Contact:
)
United Kingdom
The British Chiropractic Association (BCA), the largest chiropractic association in Europe, has recently achieved the milestone of 1,000 members. The BCA just held its autumn conference and annual general meeting in Glasgow, Scotland. Scotland had fewer than 10 chiropractors in the 1980s, but now has approximately 120. The BCA president, Dr. George Carruthers, an AECC graduate, has a practice in Chesterfield, Derbyshire; AECC vice president, Dr. Barry Lewis is a Palmer graduate and former president of the New Zealand Chiropractors' Association. He is the head clinical tutor at the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic.
The staff at the BCA headquarters in Reading, Berkshire, is led by Sue Wakefield, executive director, who came to the BCA approximately five years ago from senior administrative positions in the British National Health Service.
The BCA's website is www.chiropractic-uk.co.uk. Contact Michelle Allen at
for more information.
World Federation of Chiropractic
3080 Yonge Street, Suite 5065
Toronto, Ontario, M4N 3N1
Canada
Tel: (416) 484-9978
Fax: (416) 484-9665
www.wfc.org
Dynamic Chiropractic editorial staff members research, investigate and write articles for the publication on an ongoing basis. To contact the Editorial Department or submit an article of your own for consideration, email
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