Urging the Maharashtra government to withdraw an order that would allow homeopaths to prescribe modern medicines after completing a six-month course in pharmacology, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) wrote to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, threatening a strike if their demands are not met.
A June 30 notification by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) stated that the state's Medical Education and Drugs department has granted permission to initiate a Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) for homeopathy practitioners to practice in modern medicine.
"We are writing to express our deep concern and strong objection to the recent circular issued by the Medical Education and Drugs Department, Government of Maharashtra, directing the Maharashtra Medical Council to register CCMP (Certificate Course in Modern Medicine and Surgery for Practitioners of Indian Systems of Medicine) passed homeopathic medical practitioners in the Maharashtra Medical Council," said the letter.
The MBBS course is 5.5 years long, covering 19 subjects, clinical experience, and a compulsory internship, whereas CCMP is a 1-year course with only two days of teaching per week, which is insufficient to develop the necessary knowledge, skills, and decision-making abilities in modern medicine, the doctors' body argued.
The decision, said the medical body, poses a serious threat to the safety and quality of healthcare services.
Allowing inadequately trained individuals to treat patients can lead to misdiagnosis, adverse reactions, antibiotic resistance, and patient deaths, especially in rural areas, said the doctors' body.
In 2014, the state government amended the Maharashtra Homoeopathic Practitioners Act and the Maharashtra Medical Council Act 1965, and allowed homeopaths to prescribe modern medicines under certain conditions.
The doctors' body spotlighted the legal and ethical issues, arguing that the National Medical Commission (NMC) and state medical council regulations clearly state that licences for modern medicine can only be granted to MBBS degree holders.
CCMP is an orientation course, and granting licences based on this would be legally inappropriate, it said.
The doctors' body argued that allowing CCMP doctors to register would set a precedent for other alternative medicine practitioners to demand similar recognition, leading to chaos in the healthcare system and erosion of public trust.
It also highlighted that registering CCMP doctors would compromise the international credibility of Maharashtra's medical education and healthcare services.
"Sir, healthcare is a sacred responsibility of the state. We are confident that you will consider our demands immediately to protect the health of Maharashtra's citizens and maintain the integrity of the medical profession," said the doctors' body.
"We request that the GR dated 5/9/25 be withdrawn immediately. If the GR is not withdrawn, we will have to intensify our agitation, and on 18/9/25, a one-day statewide Token strike will be observed, with all healthcare services closed for 24 hours. Please take note of this," they said.
The IMA has challenged the amendments in the Bombay High Court.
"Do not implement any decisions until the pending High Court case is resolved," said the doctors' body.
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