Sensibly, a Lothian (Scotland) NHS board decided to stop funding homeopathy yesterday.
The British Homeopathic Association (BHA), which claimed the controversial alternative medicine had been the victim of a “hate campaign”, today refused to rule out a challenge in the courts.
The organisation believes the removal of clinics, used by around 500 people a year in the region, constitutes a “major service change” and is therefore a decision for the Scottish Government, rather than NHS Lothian.
However, other groups expressed delight that the service had been cut, calling the decision a victory for “evidence over superstition”, and said the BHA should “shut up”.
Shut up and listen? Or just shut up.
I kid, I kid.
The group’s chairman, John Cook, said: “[The] consultation failed to listen to actual patient feedback in the form of general correspondence and feedback at public meetings, instead concentrating only on the flawed online survey which was hijacked by people outside of Lothian who campaign against homeopathy.”
Health board sources claimed the Scottish Health Council has advised that the removal of homeopathy would not constitute a “major service change” and that NHS Lothian was therefore entitled to take the decision.
Keir Hardie, president of Edinburgh Skeptics, backed the NHS Lothian board and ridiculed the prospect of a legal challenge. He said: “The evidence has spoken, the service users have spoken and frankly it is probably time for the BHA to shut up.”
Um…not Keir Hardie, actually. That’s someone quite different. Keir Liddle is the Keir they want.