Maharashtra Govt Halts MMC Registration for Homeopaths Practising Modern Medicine
The Maharashtra government has directed the Maharashtra Medical Council to halt the registration of homeopaths permitted to practice modern medicine and prescribe allopathic drugs, pending a final decision from the Bombay High Court or the state administration.
The directive was issued on Tuesday morning through an order signed by a section officer in the Department of Medical Education and Drugs. The order stated that issuing further registration certificates would be inappropriate until the crisis caused by allopathic doctors' opposition subsides or the court delivers a ruling on the matter.
The decision comes after the state government previously allowed homeopaths who completed a Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology to register with the council and prescribe allopathic medicines. Following that decision, the council had registered only one homeopath on August 4.
The move faced severe opposition from the Indian Medical Association and the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, two of the largest forums of allopathic doctors in Maharashtra, both of which organised protests and strikes against the policy. The Bombay High Court is scheduled to hear the matter, which was originally filed in 2014, between August 21 and August 23.
Following the issuance of the stay order around 11 am on Tuesday, homeopaths from across Mumbai gathered at Azad Maidan to stage a demonstration. A delegation representing the Integrated Doctors Association, an organisation of non-allopathic practitioners, met with Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif to seek his intervention.
Integrated Doctors Association secretary Dr Sayyed Abrar said the minister assured the delegation that he would revoke the order. According to Dr Abrar, the minister stated that he was unaware of the order and questioned how an official in his department had issued it without his approval. The association announced plans to continue its demonstration at Azad Maidan until the stay order is officially revoked.
Separately, the state government cleared the way on August 14 for a new 18-member council team to assume control of council affairs, ending a two-and-a-half-year period during which the body was run by an administrator. The newly constituted panel includes nine elected members, five government nominees, and four ex-officio members.
