Maha Homoeopaths Allowed to Practice Allopathy After CCMP Certification, Centre tells Lok Sabha

New Delhi: Registered homoeopathic practitioners in Maharashtra have been permitted by the state government to complete the one-year Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) and provide allopathic treatment only when it is necessary and to the extent of their learning under the CCMP course, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel recently informed the Lok Sabha.

The Minister said that the state government has approved a one-year Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) for registered homeopathic practitioners. After completing this course, these practitioners will be allowed to offer allopathic treatment to patients, but only when necessary and strictly within the limits of what they have learned during the course.

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Patel shared this information in a written reply to a series of questions asked by Member of Parliament Prof. Sougata Roy. He had asked whether any State Medical Council had proposed allowing homeopathic practitioners to practice allopathy after completing a one-year bridge course in pharmacology. He also sought details of such a move, the government’s position on it, the reasons for allowing homeopaths to register with the State Medical Council despite having their own homeopathy council, and whether the government is aware of the long-term impact this could have on medical standards and the risks of unregulated medical practices.

In response to these questions, the Minister stated that the Maharashtra government’s decision to allow homeopathic practitioners to practice allopathy after completing the CCMP course was aimed at improving healthcare services in rural and remote areas. However, such practitioners can provide allopathic treatment only when necessary and within the limits of their training. She added that the Maharashtra Medical Council is required to maintain a separate register for those who complete the CCMP course, and the practitioners must also remain registered with the Homoeopathy Council.

"Government of Maharashtra has informed that with a view to strengthen health services in rural and remote areas of the state, one year Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) has been approved for Registered Homeopathic Practitioners allowing them to provide allopathic treatment to patients only when it is needed and to the extent of learning through CCMP course. The Maharashtra Medical Council have to keep a separate register for practitioners who have completed CCMP. The practitioner also has to be registered in homoeopathy council," the reply reads.

When contacted, Dr Abhijit Rajesh Helge of Maharashtra Senior Resident Doctor Association (MSRDA) told Medical Dialogues, "We are currently in discussion with all the associations, so it's too early to comment on the incident. We will announce our course of action soon."

This comes after the Maharashtra Medical Council decided to withdraw its order after receiving opposition from various allopathic doctors and a subsequent stay issued by the government. Medical Dialogues had reported that 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.

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. Medical Dialogues had earlier reported that back in 2017, the Maharashtra Medical Education and Drugs Department had passed a notification, allowing Homoeopathy practitioners across the State to practice modern medicine. As per the special notification issued on 27th September 2017, doctors who obtained the Licentiate of Court of Examiners of Homeopathy (LCEH) degree from 1951-1982, could register with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC).

However, this directive was strongly opposed by allopathic doctors in the state, who questioned how homeopaths could be permitted to register with the Medical Council. They argued that this could jeopardize patient safety and even threatened to strike if the order was implemented. The IMA accused the government of encouraging crosspathy and challenged the amendments in the Bombay High Court in 2014, which resulted in a stay on the notification by the HC bench.

Despite the matter still 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.

The issue escalated further after the Leader of Opposition, Honourable Shri Ambadas Danve, raised concerns in the Maharashtra Assembly regarding the inclusion of homeopathic doctors in the council via the CCMP route after requests from the allopathy community. Following this, the government issued a stay on the matter, leading to the MMC suspending the registration process until further notice.

This move angered homeopathic doctors, who heavily criticised the IMA for allegedly interfering with their right to practice allopathy. They claimed the rollback was a betrayal of thousands of homeopaths who had completed or were pursuing the CCMP course and accused the IMA of hiding behind the guise of public health to discriminate against them.

Demanding the reinstatement of the withdrawn Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) order allowing registration of Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP)-trained homeopathic practitioners, homeopathic doctors across the state launched a three-day hunger strike at Azad Maidan from July 16 to 18. But the strike was temporarily called off after the state government sought time to review their demands.

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