3 weeks ago

Bengal doctors oppose Maharashtra bridge course for homoeopathy practitioners

Bengal doctors oppose Maharashtra bridge course for homoeopathy practitioners
Bengal doctors oppose Maharashtra’s bridge course for homoeopathy practitioners - Telegraph India · telegraphindia.com

In India, there are different kinds of doctors.

Some use modern medicines, while others, like homeopathy doctors, use a different system of healing.

The government of Maharashtra wanted to let homeopathy doctors who finish a special one-year class also give modern medicines to patients.

Many modern medicine doctors thought this was an unsafe idea and stopped working to protest.

They called the plan 'mixopathy,' a word they used to say mixing two different kinds of medicine is wrong.

A very important court, the Bombay High Court, told the protesting doctors to go back to work so patients would not suffer.

The state's leader, Devendra Fadnavis, said all doctors are equal no matter which system they trained in.

The protesting doctors said a short course can never replace years of medical school and hospital training.

The government paused the plan, and then more than 9,000 homeopathy doctors went on a hunger strike because they were upset.

Some people say the plan would help when there are not enough doctors, but others say it could be dangerous for patients.

Key facts

Bridge Course
Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) - a one-year programme training BHMS graduates in rational allopathic drug prescribing
Government Resolution
Issued July 23, 2026, directing MMC to immediately open its portal and register CCMP-qualified homoeopaths
Pending Legal Challenge
Indian Medical Association vs State of Maharashtra, Writ Petition No. 7846 of 2014, with the matter sub judice
Homeopath Protests
More than 9,000 practitioners held hunger strikes at Azad Maidan demanding restored registrations
Doctor-Population Ratio
India's ratio cited as 1:811 including AYUSH practitioners
Current Status
Registration process suspended by the state amid opposition from allopathic medical associations
Chief Minister's Stance
Fadnavis: 'All doctors are equal, irrespective of which system of medicine they belong to'

Quotes

Dr Debasis Halder

Spokesperson for the West Bengal Junior Doctors’ Forum

“"This is not a step towards strengthening healthcare. It is an attempt to institutionalise mixopathy by blurring the boundaries between distinct systems of medicine."”
telegraphindia.com
“"mixopathy", which he described as “nothing more than the National Medical Council’s agenda” and “extremely unscientific.””
telegraphindia.com

Sources

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