Mumbai: On Monday, two more homeopaths in the state were granted registrations with Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) even after backlash from the medical community on the ground that the move would risk patient safety. The registrations allow homeopaths to prescribe complex modern medicines based on a one-year certificate course in pharmacology.The move came nearly three weeks after the first registration was granted to Mankhurd-based homeopath Neha Pawar. The two new additions include Pune’s Rajshri Memane and Badlapur’s Ramesh Kamble. Speaking to TOI, Kamble said he finished his BHMS degree in 2012 and had already started prescribing allopathic medicines while working at Sushrut Hospital. He completed his one-year Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) in 2023.When asked why he did not do an MBBS degree instead, he said, “There was no one to guide me at that time; awareness among family was also not as much. So I went for whatever option was available.”The issue has stretched on for most of Aug after a govt resolution released earlier this month directed MMC to start homeopath registrations. It also formed a committee to set up a standard operating procedure to deal with cases of negligence by homeopaths. The move soon culminated in a strike by Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) and Indian Medical Association (IMA), which was called off on the order of Bombay High Court, which has also started assessing if doctors can strike in the first place.In the meanwhile, a freeze was put on homeopath registrations by medical education department on Aug 18, through a letter sent to MMC, taking into account the concerns of the medical community. In a U-turn, the freeze was lifted on Aug 20, asking MMC to follow directions as per the minutes of the meeting held on July 28.Department secretary Dheeraj Kumar said the earlier letter was issued without his approval while he was out of office due to fever. He said, “It was a procedural error. A show-cause notice has been issued to the person concerned and he has submitted his explanation. Further action will be taken.”IMA president Dr Santosh Kulkarni, in a statement to the press, said, “Accepting moral responsibility for the blatant administrative failure, the chaotic directives to MMC, and the disrespect shown to judicial instructions, medical education minister Hassan Mushrif and principal secretary (Dheeraj Kumar) must tender their resignations immediately.”
