News from Overseas

New Legislation in France

The Association Française de Chiropratique (AFC) reports that a bill to legally recognise chiropractic has been approved by the National Assembly. The bill must receive formal assent by the Senate before becoming law. The legislation provides for the regulation of the use of the titles osteopath and chiropractor. These titles will be reserved for those individuals who are duly qualified in osteopathy or chiropractic from a school, institute or a university as recognised by law.

Foreign held qualifications must satisfy the requirements as determined by those educational institutions to be recognised by the law. Currently practising chiropractors and osteopaths, at the date of enforcement of this law, can be recognised as duly qualified osteopaths or chiropractors if they satisfy educational and professional experience criteria similar to those for graduates from these legally recognised educational institutions.

Hong Kong Chiropractic Registration

The Hong Kong Chiropractic Association (HKCA) has indicated that the Legislative Council of Hong Kong passed the final supplementary legislation needed to enact the formal registration of chiropractors in Hong Kong. This has been a long hard-fought battle. The Hong Kong government has finally recognized chiropractic as a primary health care profession. The Chiropractors’ Council (Hong Kong) was set up in 1993 and has worked with the government to draft the Rules, Codes of Practice, Registration Qualifications and Fees Schedule required for the chiropractors’ registration which began on September 1, 2001. This will make the first formal recognition of chiropractic in Asia and so marks a milestone for the profession.

Councils on Chiropractic Education International Formed

Last July in Brussels, Belgium, representatives of the Australasian Council on Chiropractic Education (ACCE), Council on Chiropractic Education of Canada (CCEC), European Council on Chiropractic Education (ECCE), and Council on Chiropractic Education United States (CCE US) met to formally establish the Councils on Chiropractic Education International (CCEI).

The CCEI is an international agency whose primary purpose is to promote and oversee high quality standards for chiropractic education on a worldwide basis.

During the past year, representatives of ACCE, CCEC, ECCE, and CCE US, met to develop effective model standards and the organisational structure for CCEI. The CCEI will make available its services and expertise to leaders of chiropractic education programs worldwide. CCEI will develop opportunities for accreditation of chiropractic education programs where, at present, no CCE exists. CCEI will aid and recognise new accreditation agencies that implement the CCEI Model Standards and meet other qualification requirements.

The Founding Board of Directors comprises Drs Peter Drake and John Sweaney (ACCE), Dr Grayden Bridge and Mr Peter Waite (CCEC), Drs. Anfinn Kilvaer and Susan Steward (ECCE), and Drs. Joseph Brimhall and Reed Phillips (CCE US). The newly elected CCEI officers are Dr. Anfinn Kilvaer as President, and Dr. Reed B. Phillips as Vice President. Dr. Paul D. Walker is the Executive Director of CCEI.

Workers Safety Board in Canada Recommends Manipulation

In recent years the Ontario Workers Safety and Insurance Board, one of the largest workers’ compensation agencies in the world, has convened scientific and policy chronic pain expert advisory panels to provide a comprehensive report on appropriate management of workers with chronic back pain and disability. Manipulation and exercises are found to be the most proven forms of treatment. The final report titled “Chronic Pain Initiative: Report of the Chair, Chronic Pain Panels” may be found at, and downloaded from, www.wsib.ca/wsibsite.nsf/Public/ChronicPainReport.

Chiropractic Education in Japan

During the first week of May the Japanese Federation of Chiropractic Colleges (JFCC), an affiliate of the Japanese Association of Chiropractors (JAC), hosted in Kyoto what is potentially the most important meeting on chiropractic education ever held in Japan. Representatives of all international CCE accredited colleges that are currently active with partner institutions in Japan, including Cleveland Chiropractic College, Canadian Memorial Chiropractic College, Life College of Chiropractic West, RMIT University and the Southern California University of Health Sciences (formerly LACC), are attending with a view to establishing agreed common educational standards for conversion programs in Japan. These are interim programs upgrading Japanese graduates from unaccredited schools.

The international news information was provided by
Prof. Andries Klenyhans