Doctors Threaten Strike Over Maharashtra's Allopathy Order for Homeopaths

In a significant flashpoint for the medical community, allopathic doctors in Maharashtra have threatened to go on strike on July 11 over the state's plan to allow homeopathic practitioners to register with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) by completing six-month bridge course.

The Indian Medical Association, which represents thousands of MBBS doctors, has strongly opposed the proposal, stating it violates patient safety standards, and violates medical ethics.

The controversy emerged from a government notification allowing BHMS doctors to prescribe allopathic medication upon completion of a Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP). The CCMP was introduced by an amendment in 2014, but is now being implemented after the government begins online registration for the course's completion on July 15. The new rule has incited backlash from the allopathic community.

IMA debates that the six-month course in modern pharmacology does not compare with MBBS training or patient safety. The IMA demanded that the decision be immediately withdrawn and they will escalate protests if the government doesn't respond.

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While associations of homeopathic doctors state that the decision will improve access to health care in rural communities, the doctors argue the change is purely politically motivated as an attempt to dilute medical standards. The stand-off has exposed deep fissures in India’s healthcare regulation, raising serious questions about cross-system integration and public health accountability.