CCMP: Maharashtra Lifts Curbs on Homoeopath Registration

The Maharashtra Government has withdrawn its August 18 directive asking the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) to halt the registration of homoeopathic practitioners who have completed the Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP), reopening the question of how the State will implement its policy on their registration and practice of modern medicine.

The Medical Education and Drugs Department, in a communication to the MMC, cancelled its earlier directive and asked the council to act in accordance with the decision taken at a meeting on July 28.

The Government had issued the August 18 directive after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) protested against the registration of CCMP-qualified homoeopathic practitioners with the MMC. The Government had asked the council to suspend further registrations until it resolved the issue and received further directions.

The dispute centres on the State’s policy that allows registered homoeopathic practitioners who complete the CCMP to practise modern medicine within the scope prescribed under the applicable legal framework. The State introduced the course after amending the relevant legislation in 2014 and subsequently provided for a separate register for practitioners covered by the provision.

The MMC has already changed its position on registration several times. After the July 28 meeting, the council registered a BHMS practitioner who had completed the CCMP. It later suspended the registration process, citing technical issues. The latest Government communication could allow the council to resume registrations.

Resident doctors have again opposed the Government’s decision. Central MARD president Dr. Atharva Shinde said the organisation would continue to oppose the inclusion of CCMP-qualified BHMS practitioners in the MMC framework for modern medical practice.

“We respect the Government and the Bombay High Court, where the matter is sub judice,” Dr. Shinde said. He added that the organisation’s executive committee would decide its further course of action within the law.

The dispute has also renewed the debate over whether additional training in pharmacology can authorise practitioners trained in homoeopathy to provide modern medical treatment. The IMA and resident doctors have described the arrangement as cross-pathy and raised concerns over professional standards and patient safety. CCMP-qualified homoeopathic practitioners, however, maintain that the State’s legal framework permits them to practise modern medicine within the prescribed limits.

The Bombay High Court is examining the matter. The Government’s withdrawal of the August 18 directive has therefore reopened the registration process while leaving the broader legal and regulatory position unresolved.