NEW DELHI: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has threatened a nationwide strike if the Maharashtra government does not withdraw its recent decision permitting registration of BHMS graduates (Homepathy) who have completed the Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC).In a letter to Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday, IMA Headquarters termed the government’s August 3 Government Resolution (GR) “illegal” and urged its immediate cancellation, arguing that it undermines medical education, violates established legal principles and poses a risk to public health.The controversy centres on the state’s decision to allow CCMP-qualified BHMS doctors to register with the Maharashtra Medical Council. The IMA has objected both to the CCMP course and to what it calls “dual medical council registration.”“The CCMP course has not been approved by the erstwhile Medical Council of India (MCI), the National Medical Commission (NMC), or the National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH). Such a course cannot be considered valid and should be discontinued immediately,” the association said in its representation.The doctors’ body also argued that allowing practitioners to hold registrations under two different medical councils is unprecedented in India and could mislead patients regarding a doctor’s qualifications and scope of practice.The IMA further pointed out that the issue is already pending before the Bombay high court in a petition challenging amendments to the Maharashtra Medical Council Act. It said the government should not proceed with registrations while the matter remains sub judice.Questioning the state’s justification of addressing rural doctor shortages, the association claimed the circumstances have changed significantly since similar provisions were introduced over a decade ago.“The Maharashtra government has already done away with the compulsory rural bond system for MBBS graduates because of the non-availability of vacant posts, indicating that there is no longer a shortage of qualified allopathic doctors,” the letter stated.
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The association also said equating MBBS graduates, who undergo years of full-time medical education, with CCMP-trained practitioners who complete a part-time course would be unfair to students pursuing modern medicine.Citing the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment in Poonam Verma vs Ashwin Patel (1996), the IMA reiterated that practitioners registered in one recognised system of medicine cannot prescribe medicines or practise another system without recognised qualifications and valid registration in that system.The IMA warned that if the GR is not withdrawn and the CCMP course is not discontinued, it will call for a nationwide strike involving doctors of modern medicine, including medical students, resident doctors and interns across the country.Copies of the representation have also been sent to the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister, Union Health Minister and the Chairperson of the National Medical Commission.
