CCMP registration row: Homeopaths allegedly lock Maharashtra medical council office in protest, threaten Mantralaya dharna, IMA demands action

Meanwhile, officials in the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) on Friday termed the situation increasingly tense as the protestors allegedly locked the main doors of the Council office and started demanding their certificates for opening the doors. Ultimately, police had to intervene, TOI has reported.

Medical Dialogues had earlier reported on the continuous dispute between homeopaths and allopathy doctors in Maharashtra over the direction issued to the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) to grant registration to BHMS practitioners who have done a Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP).

Associations representing both sides had warned of initiating a strike- one demanding immediate registration and the other opposing it. Amid this, the State Government had called a meeting last week to temper down the tensions between the associations representing Homeopaths and the Maharashtra chapter of the Indian Medical Association (IMA).

Also Read: Modern Medicine must remain with MBBS doctors- says Maharashtra Medical Education Minister amid CCMP row

Meanwhile, the decision from the Medical Education Ministry regarding the induction of homeopaths into the modern medicine system remains pending. Hindustan Times has reported that on July 27, the State Government put on hold its decision to allow the registration of Homeopaths with the state medical council after IMA and Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) strongly opposed the proposal. This resulted in further protests from the associations representing homeopathic doctors.

As per the latest media report by the Times of India, when the homeopathic practitioners were called for a discussion on standard operating procedures at the medical council office in Chinchpokli last week, the situation turned tense. Commenting on this, Dr Vinky Rughwani, MMC Administrator, said that the homeopaths had misunderstood it and thought that some of them would receive their registration certificates on that day. 

"They locked the main doors of the MMC and started protesting. They were insisting that until the time they get their certificates, they would not open the doors. We had to call the police," Dr. Rughwani said. He further added that the handful of staff who were at the office at the time managed to get out through the back entrance.

IMA condemned the incident and demanded immediate police action for obstructing government duty. The association demanded that criminal charges be brought against homeopaths who entered the medical council office and "created an atmosphere of terror, and threatened employees."

Insisting on special police protection at the MMC office, the association added in a statement, "While the administration and IMA are working harmoniously toward a resolution, the conduct of the BHMS-CCMP (homeopathic) agitators has taken a highly irresponsible and violent turn."

On the other hand, Dr Yogesh Bhalerao, working president of the IDF (Integrated Doctors Association) said, "The protest was purely symbolic. After office hours, the main entrance gate was symbolically held closed for approximately five minutes as part of the sit-in protest. Mumbai Police were present throughout the protest, and the entire demonstration was conducted in their presence."

HT has reported that now the Homeopathic doctors have threatened to stage a dharna outside Mantralaya on Tuesday, and doctors practising other Indian systems of medicine-Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) have joined the protest under the banner of the Integrated Doctors Association (IDA).