Maharashtra Allows CCMP-Certified Homeopaths to Prescribe Allopathy; Doctors Raise Safety Concerns
Mumbai, July 7, 2025 – The Maharashtra FDA has issued a directive permitting homeopathic practitioners who successfully complete a six-month Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) to prescribe allopathic medicines. This builds on a 2016 amendment to the Homeopathic Practitioners Act and Medical Council Act that redefined registered practitioners to include CCMP-certified homeopaths timesofindia.indiatimes.com+6medicaldialogues.in+6maharashtramatters.news+6.
While the policy aims to strengthen rural healthcare, it has triggered sharp criticism from medical professionals and remains under judicial scrutiny .
📚 Certificate Course & Legal Framework
The CCMP, offered by Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, spans six months and is available across 33 government medical colleges, with over 15,000 homeopaths certified to date .
Pursuant to the 2016 Act, qualified homeopaths became “registered medical practitioners,” yet prescription rights by drug retailers were limited until the FDA’s recent clarification maharashtramatters.news+2medicaldialogues.in+2timesofindia.indiatimes.com+2.
🚨 Criticism from IMA and Doctors
The Indian Medical Association (Maharashtra) has vowed to challenge the directive, stating it undermines healthcare standards. Dr. Santosh Kadam, IMA state president, remarked that a six-month course cannot substitute for a rigorous 5+ year MBBS, asserting the move will lead to unqualified practitioners timesofindia.indiatimes.com+4maharashtramatters.news+4timesofindia.indiatimes.com+4.
Former IMA leader R.V. Asokan warned the certificate-based approach belittles evidence-based clinical training and does not conform to global professional norms maharashtramatters.news.
🧭 Legal Dispute Ongoing
This new directive comes amid a pending case filed by Pune IMA in the Bombay High Court, which previously questioned an earlier notification allowing homeopaths to practise allopathy. The court has intervened in past cases, staying similar notifications over safety concerns reddit.com+10medicaldialogues.in+10timesofindia.indiatimes.com+10.
🌾 Rationale and Rural Healthcare Debate
Proponents—including homeopathy associations—argue the policy addresses doctor shortages in rural Maharashtra, ensuring access to modern medicines in underserved areas timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
They maintain CCMP equips practitioners with pharmacological knowledge, enabling them to safely manage conditions where MBBS doctors are scarce.
🔬 Pharmacologists Speak Up
Critics like Rajeev Jayadevan (Kerala IMA research cell) argue that MBBS education offers years of clinical reasoning and pharmacology training. By contrast, a short-term course is inadequate to ensure safe prescribing practices
