Doctors oppose allowing homoeopaths with Pharmacology certificate to practice allopathy in Maharashtra
Mumbai: Doctors across Maharashtra have strongly opposed a recent move by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) permitting homoeopaths to prescribe modern medicines after completing a six-month pharmacology course.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday criticised the notification by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) that will allow homeopaths to prescribe modern medicines after completing a six-month course in pharmacology.
This came on the back of the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) notification of June 30, which mentioned that the state Medical Education and Drugs department has given permission to start a Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) for homoeopathy practitioners to practice in modern medicine.
Medical Dialogues recently reported that under the new guidelines, homoeopathic doctors who have completed the CCMP course can now register with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) and practice modern medicine. The state government has given permission to the medical council to issue registration certificates to the eligible homeopathic doctors with a CCMP certificate. The MMC will launch an online registration facility starting July 15, 2025, for eligible doctors.
"This is absolutely wrong and we are against it as it will 'hoodwink' patients and dilute modern medical practices. Currently, the matter is subjudice, with a petition filed by IMA before Bombay High Court, which has issued a stay on this," Indian Medical Association (IMA) national vice president Shivkumar Utture told PTI.
In 2014, the state government amended Maharashtra Homoeopathic Practitioners Act and Maharashtra Medical Council Act 1965 and allowed homeopaths to prescribe modern medicines under certain conditions, he said.
The IMA challenged the amendments in the Bombay High Court, he added.
However, after this notification, he said, "We have to approach the court and ask it to expedite the matter".
"The notification undermines the statutory and ethical framework of MMC and will lead to confusion among patients," he added.
Raising serious concerns regarding the decision to register homoeopathic practitioners under the Maharashtra Medical Council, the Association of Medical Consultants (AMC), Mumbai, has written to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, urging him to revoke the said notification allowing CCMP-qualified homoeopathic doctors to register under MMC. Reinforce the legal sanctity of MMC as the exclusive regulatory authority for allopathic practitioners.
''Should this decision not be reversed, thousands of modern medicine practitioners across Maharashtra will be compelled to initiate peaceful but firm democratic protests, dharnas, and agitations to safeguard the dignity of our profession and ensure public safety,'' it further added.
MMC decided to implement the 2014 amendment in a meeting in February this year.
As per the notification, the Maharashtra Medical Association (MMA) directed all CCMP-qualified doctors to register, for which a portal will be launched on MMA website with specific instructions from July 15.
