IMA urges govt to withdraw second circular on homoeopaths

Controversy broke out on June 30, when the MMC was allowed to register homoeopathic practitioners with Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) qualifications

MUMBAI: The Indian Medical Association (IMA), Maharashtra, has sought the immediate withdrawal of the state government’s circular directing the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) to register homoeopaths who have completed the Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) in a separate register. Homoeopaths thus registered are part of a move to allow these practitioners to prescribe allopathic medicines.

IMA urges govt to withdraw second circular on homoeopaths

The objection to the September 5 circular was raised by the IMA in a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday. The move comes amid litigation in the Bombay High Court filed by IMA and allopathic doctors, opposing the move to allow homoeopaths to prescribe allopathic medicines.

Controversy broke out on June 30, when the MMC was allowed to register homoeopathic practitioners with CCMP qualifications. However, the state government halted the process on July 11, following strong opposition from allopathic doctors including a token strike by the IMA. This prompted a meeting with the chief minister, who assured allopathic doctors that their demand would be met.

However, the government issued a fresh circular on September 5, reviving the registration process. This, the IMA argues, violates the state’s earlier assurance to await the findings of a committee set up to review the contentious issue.

“Reissuing the circular while the court case is ongoing and when the state had assured that they would await the committee’s findings can be classified as contempt of court,” said IMA Maharashtra president Dr Santosh Kadam.

“The court had granted time for the committee’s recommendations. Issuing such a directive is premature and misleading, and even the state law and judiciary department has clarified that such a register shall not create legal rights until the court’s final decision,” he said. If the circular is not withdrawn, doctors across Maharashtra would launch a phase-wise agitation, he added.

State medical education department secretary Dheeraj Kumar told HT, “Our letter is very clear and it covers the entire history of litigation along with Hon SC, Honorary High Court and the state advocate general’s observations on the issue. All the issues have been addressed in it.”

The state attorney-general’s (name) comments (where?) noted, “I am in agreement with the view expressed by the law and judiciary department that there is no impediment by way of any order of the court which prohibits maintenance of the register as per the provisions of Section 2(h) of the MMC Act. However, preparation of the said register shall be subject to the final orders of the high court in the pending proceedings, and no equities can be claimed on the basis of the register having been prepared or the names having been entered in the register.”

Dr Bahubali Shah, administrator of the Homoeopathy Council of Maharashtra, said, “We are delighted about the outcome. The issue has been long pending due to misinformation spread by allopathy doctors and we are glad that the government has finally opened registration again.”

The CCMP is a six-month training programme in modern pharmacology, designed to allow homoeopaths to prescribe allopathic medicines, particularly in underserved rural areas. So far, more than 9,000 homoeopathic practitioners in Maharashtra have completed the course. Supporters argue that it is a structured response to rural healthcare shortages, while opponents fear it blurs the line between traditional and modern medicine.