Doctors Outraged as Maharashtra Govt Allows Homeopaths to Prescribe Allopathic Medicines

Senior doctors across India have voiced strong concerns over the Maharashtra State Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recent decision to allow homeopaths, who have completed a certificate course in modern pharmacology, to prescribe allopathic medicines.

Although the decision was made two months ago, the official order was only issued recently. The move stems from a notification issued by the state government on June 25, 2014, which amended the Maharashtra Medical Homoeopathic Practitioners Act, 1965. This amendment permits homeopathic practitioners to practice allopathy upon completing the requisite certification.

R.V. Asokan, former president of the Indian Medical Association (IMA), criticized the decision and confirmed that the Maharashtra IMA plans to challenge it in court. “When governments disregard the potential health risks of such decisions, what can we say? Both mixopathy and crosspathy are fundamentally flawed practices. This permissive atmosphere allows decisions to pass without accountability,” he stated.

Public health activist Babu K.V. pointed out that the order appears to have been issued hastily. He noted that while the amendment allows certified homeopaths to prescribe allopathic medicines, the FDA's decision does not align with a 2016 court ruling based on a writ petition filed by the Pune IMA. “We hope this decision will be revoked,” he added.

Dr. Rajeev Jayadevan, chairman of the research cell at the Kerala State IMA, emphasized that the Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program is the internationally recognized standard for training required to prescribe modern medicines. He argued that homeopathy operates on principles that are fundamentally different from and unsupported by the evidence-based framework of modern medicine.

“Prescribing modern medicines should be restricted to those who have completed an MBBS degree and are licensed to practice modern medicine. A short certification course cannot match the comprehensive training of an MBBS program. Similarly, modern medicine practitioners should not prescribe homeopathic or Ayurvedic treatments, as they lack the necessary training in those disciplines,” he said.

Doctors have warned that healthcare standards must align with global benchmarks, cautioning against lowering the bar by introducing shortcuts like certificate courses and promoting “mixopathy.”

(Input from various sources)

(Rehash/Sai Sindhuja K/MSM)