Maharashtra has begun implementing a state law allowing eligible BHMS practitioners who complete a one-year modern pharmacology course to prescribe specified modern medicines. Doctors’ organisations oppose the policy, while the state says it could strengthen healthcare access.
Maharashtra has operationalized a state-specific pathway allowing registered homeopathy practitioners to prescribe certain modern medicines after completing the Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology.
Eligible practitioners must hold a Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery qualification, be registered with the state’s homeopathy council and successfully complete the one-year CCMP program.
Those who meet the requirements may be entered in a separate register maintained by the Maharashtra Medical Council. Their authority to practice modern medicine is intended to remain limited to the knowledge and competencies covered by the certificate course.
The registration process has triggered strong opposition from the Indian Medical Association, the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors and other organizations representing modern-medicine practitioners.
Advertisement
A Decade-Old Law Moves into Active Implementation
The controversy originates from amendments passed by the Maharashtra Legislature in 2014 to the Maharashtra Homoeopathic Practitioners’ Act, 1960, and the Maharashtra Medical Council Act, 1965.
The amendments created a legal route for registered homeopathy practitioners who passed a state-approved modern pharmacology course to practice modern scientific medicine within a defined scope.
Implementation remained delayed for years because of legal challenges, regulatory disagreements and disputes over how eligible practitioners should be registered.
The issue returned to the forefront after the state directed the Maharashtra Medical Council to proceed with registration. At least one CCMP-qualified practitioner reportedly received registration, while thousands of applications were awaiting consideration.
Any registrations granted remain subject to the final outcome of the legal proceedings challenging the policy.
Advertisement
CCMP Combines Pharmacology with Clinical Training
The Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology is a one-year program designed for registered BHMS practitioners. It was developed by expert committees associated with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences after comparing the BHMS and MBBS curricula.
According to information provided by the Maharashtra government to Parliament, the course includes:
- Modern pharmacology
- Practical laboratory procedures
- Rotational hospital training
- Clinical subjects associated with modern medicine
- Training at government and private medical colleges
- Examinations conducted through the Faculty of Medicine
The government maintains that the curriculum was designed to address identified gaps in BHMS training and prepare qualified practitioners to provide modern treatment only within the course’s defined limits.
Homeopathy organizations argue that graduates completed the state-approved program in good faith and should receive the professional recognition promised under the amended law.
Advertisement
Rural Healthcare Access Drives the Government’s Case
The Maharashtra government says the policy was introduced to strengthen public healthcare, particularly in rural, remote and underserved areas.
In an official response to Parliament, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said CCMP-qualified practitioners could provide modern treatment when needed and only to the extent of their training.
The state’s position is that practitioners registered under this pathway would remain accountable for negligence or misdiagnosis. Complaints could be examined under the Maharashtra Medical Council’s disciplinary framework, similar to complaints involving other registered practitioners.
Supporters argue that BHMS doctors are already an important part of healthcare delivery in areas with limited access to medical services.
They believe additional pharmacology and clinical training could enable these practitioners to manage selected conditions and essential medicines more safely.
IMA Warns Against Compressing Medical Training
The Indian Medical Association argues that one year of additional training cannot provide the depth of education and clinical exposure required to practice modern medicine safely.
An MBBS program involves several years of classroom education, laboratory work, supervised clinical training and a compulsory internship. The IMA says equating this pathway with a bridge-course qualification could weaken professional standards and create confusion about practitioners’ actual capabilities.
“Short-term certification or bridge courses cannot substitute for comprehensive medical education,” the association said while opposing the policy.
The IMA has also claimed that the CCMP program lacks approval from the central regulators responsible for modern medicine and homeopathy education. It has demanded that the state withdraw both the registration decision and the certificate course.
The National Commission for Homoeopathy’s undergraduate curriculum includes exposure to modern pharmacology. However, this is distinct from a state decision authorizing a practitioner to prescribe modern medicines.
Dual Registration Raises Questions About Patient Clarity
One of the strongest objections concerns dual registration. A CCMP-qualified practitioner may remain registered under the homeopathy system while also appearing in a separate register maintained by the Maharashtra Medical Council.
Doctors’ organizations argue that patients may struggle to distinguish between an MBBS-trained physician and a BHMS graduate with a one-year pharmacology certificate.
The IMA says professional titles, prescriptions, clinic displays and registration records must clearly communicate:
- The practitioner’s primary qualification
- The system of medicine in which the practitioner was trained
- Completion of the CCMP program
- The medicines the practitioner is authorized to prescribe
- Conditions that require referral to an MBBS doctor or specialist
Without this clarity, critics warn that patients could incorrectly assume that all practitioners registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council have completed equivalent medical education.
Ayurveda Comparison Adds Another Layer to the Dispute
Homeopathy representatives have questioned why their members face stronger opposition when some Ayurveda and Unani practitioners are permitted to use selected modern medicines under state-specific laws and notifications.
However, these prescribing rights are not automatically identical across India. Their scope depends on the practitioner’s recognized curriculum, relevant state legislation, government notifications and judicial interpretation.
The Maharashtra dispute therefore does not establish a general right for every AYUSH practitioner to prescribe all modern medicines. It concerns a particular state amendment, a defined certificate course and the extent of practice authorized under that framework.
The distinction is important because describing the policy simply as permission for homeopaths to “practice allopathy” can incorrectly suggest unrestricted authority.
Hospital Strike Ends but Professional Opposition Continues
Resident doctors ended their statewide strike and resumed work after the Bombay High Court intervened over disruptions to patient care.
Although hospital services have returned to normal, medical organizations plan to continue opposing the CCMP registration policy through legal and peaceful action.
Clear Safeguards Become the Real Patient-Safety Test
The policy’s safety will depend on clearly defining which medicines CCMP-qualified practitioners may prescribe, when specialist referral is required and how misconduct is handled.
Transparent registration records, prescribing limits, ethical standards and effective regulatory oversight will be essential to protect patients and distinguish CCMP practitioners from MBBS-qualified doctors.
Court Decision Will Shape the Policy’s Future
The legal challenge remains pending before the Bombay High Court. The court’s eventual decision could determine whether the amended state law, CCMP registration process and separate Maharashtra Medical Council register can continue in their present form.
Until then, registrations issued under the policy remain subject to the outcome of the petitions. The controversy is likely to continue because it involves competing questions of healthcare access, medical education, professional identity and patient safety.
The central issue is not whether rural communities need more healthcare professionals. It is whether the state’s proposed bridge between two different medical systems provides sufficient training, transparent credentials and enforceable limits to protect patients.
Source-Medindia