Around 1.8 lakh doctors strike in Maharashtra against Homeopath-CCMP registration
Mumbai: Nearly 1.8 lakh doctors across Maharashtra staged a strike today opposing the state government's move to allow homeopathic practitioners with a Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) to register with the Maharashtra Medical Council.
While emergency and critical services remained unaffected, doctors from government, BMC, and private hospitals participated. The protest follows the government’s fresh circular on September 5, reviving CCMP registration despite earlier withdrawal.
According to PTI report, doctors across Maharashtra went on a 24-hour strike on Thursday to protest the government's decision to allow the registration of homeopathic doctors, who have completed a certificate course in modern pharmacology, in the state medical council.
Nearly 1.8 lakh allopathic doctors across the state, including in private hospitals, were participating in the strike, Indian Medical Association (IMA) Maharashtra president Dr Santosh Kadam claimed.
All the resident doctors' organisations of government and Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation medical colleges, the Federation of All India Medical Association, Association of State Medical Interns, and Government Medical College Association are opposing the move and are participating in the strike, adds PTI
However, all emergency and critical services were continuing.
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The doctors' body has claimed the decision (registration of certified homeopaths) poses a serious threat to the safety of patients and quality of healthcare services.
Earlier this year, the state government directed the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) to register homoeopaths who had completed the one-year Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP), to allow them to prescribe allopathic medicines to patients in select cases.
However, the notification was withdrawn after the IMA Maharashtra members, who planned a strike on July 11 but deferred it until further notice, met with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and explained about the confusion among patients.
The government issued a fresh circular on September 5, reviving the registration process. A fresh government resolution (GR) was issued in this regard on September 5, upsetting allopathic practitioners, who decided to go ahead with the 24-hour strike.
Also Read:CCMP Row: Over 9000 Maha Homoeopathic doctors call off strike after Govt assures review
What is the issue?
The CCMP course was started based on the Government Resolution dated 13.03.2014. The course was conducted under the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), Nashik. After successful completion, eligible homeopathic practitioners received training in allopathic (modern) medicine to serve in public healthcare services. In 2014, the Maharashtra Medical Council issued a notice in which the council was given the authority to ask all doctors who have completed the CCMP course to register with the council.
Back in 2017, the State Medical Education and Drugs Department passed a notification and allowed Homeopaths to practice modern medicine and register with MMC. However, allopathic doctors strongly opposed this move and the matter ultimately resulted in IMA challenging the amendments in the Bombay High Court in 2014. Consequently, the HC bench stayed the notification.
While the matter was awaiting a court judgment, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) had, on June 30, officially decided to allow homeopathic practitioners who completed the CCMP course to register with the council and prescribe allopathic medicines. MMC was directed to register CCM-qualified around 10,000 to 90,000 homeopathic doctors in Maharashtra, in a separate register starting July 15. However, the decision was put on hold and the Government suspended the registration process after IMA warned to initiate a statewide strike.
Following this, the Maharashtra Medical Education and Drugs Department formed a seven-member special committee to decide whether homeopathic doctors who have completed the Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) should be allowed to register with the Maharashtra Medical Council and practice modern (allopathic) medicine.
Registration of CCMP-qualified Homeopaths with MMC:
The Maharashtra Medical Education and Drugs Department directed the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) to start the registration of homeopathy practitioners who have completed a one-year Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP).
This resulted in a strong protest among the medical practitioners across the State. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that IMA had termed the Government's decision as "dangerous" and "a threat to public health", and it had also highlighted that the government's order was in contempt of court as the matter was already pending before the High Court.
Again, on 12th September 2025, the association wrote to the Chief Minister and expressed its deep concern and strong objection to the recent circular issued by the Medical Education and Drugs Department, Government of Maharashtra. IMA mentioned in the letter that the direction to Maharashtra Medical Council to give registration to CCMP (Certificate Course in Modern Medicine and Surgery for Practitioners of Indian Systems of Medicine) passed homeopathic medical practitioners, "poses a serious threat to the safety and quality of healthcare services."
The association demanded an immediate stay on the decision to register CCMP doctors in the Maharashtra Medical Council and urged the Government not to implement any decisions until the pending High Court case is resolved. As per the association, only fully trained and qualified MBBS doctors should be granted licenses for modern medicine.
