1.8 Lakh Doctors in Maharashtra on Strike over Govt Nod Allowing Homeopaths To Practise Allopathy

Moneylife Digital Team 18 September 2025

Economy & Nation

Healthcare services across Maharashtra faced widespread disruption on Thursday as nearly 180,000 doctors observed a 24-hour strike to oppose the state government’s decision allowing homeopathic practitioners with a short-term certificate to be registered with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) and practise allopathy within a limited scope.

The strike, spearheaded by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Maharashtra, began at 8am on Thursday and will continue until 8am Friday. Outpatient departments (OPDs), private clinics and several hospitals remained shut, while routine consultations, inpatient care and elective surgeries were affected. Emergency services, however, continued to function.

The trigger for the protest was a recent government resolution that directed the MMC to register homeopaths who have completed a one-year certificate course in modern pharmacology (CCMP), granting them rights to prescribe allopathic medicines in select cases.

Doctors’ associations have strongly objected to the move, calling it an erosion of medical standards and a threat to patient safety. “A one-year course cannot substitute the rigorous 5.5 years of MBBS training. This decision risks patient lives and undermines scientific medicine,” says Dr Santosh Kadam, president of IMA, Maharashtra.

Supporting groups included the Association of Medical Consultants (AMC), resident doctors from state-run medical colleges, the Bombay Nursing Home Association (BNHA), and specialist bodies like the Maharashtra Ophthalmological Society and the Indian Academy of Paediatrics’ state unit. In a joint letter, AMC Mumbai says, “By standing with IMA, we send a clear message to the government: revoke this regressive decision and uphold the integrity of modern medicine.”

The protesting doctors emphasised that they are not opposed to homeopathy as a system of medicine, but believe that blending practitioners into the allopathic framework without adequate training could lead to misdiagnosis, unsafe prescriptions and potential loss of life.

IMA has already challenged the government’s decision in the Bombay High Court, where the matter is pending. Meanwhile, its leaders warned of intensifying the agitation if the order is not withdrawn. “If the government does not roll back this decision, we will be forced to take this fight nationwide,” said Dr Akshay Dongardive, president of the Federation of All India Medical Associations.

The strike comes just weeks after doctors had threatened similar action which was put on hold following assurances from the government. With the fresh notification issued on 5th September, doctors say their concerns have been ignored, prompting Thursday’s shutdown.

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