Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has temporarily suspended the registration of homeopathic practitioners seeking to practice modern medicine under the Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP), following concerns raised by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) over patient safety and cross-pathy.
Acting on government directives issued on July 11, the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) on Friday formally withdrew its earlier notification dated June 30, 2025, which had allowed CCMP-qualified doctors to register with the Council. The MMC stated that all further registrations under the program will remain suspended until further notice.
The decision comes amid growing opposition from the medical fraternity. In a letter dated July 8, the IMA’s Maharashtra chapter urged the government to revoke permissions granted to homeopathic doctors to practice allopathy, warning that the move could jeopardize patient safety and undermine medical standards.
The government had earlier amended the Maharashtra Homeopathic Practitioners Act, 1959, and the Maharashtra Medical Council Act, 1965, through Maharashtra Act No. 19 of 2014. This allowed homeopathic doctors who completed the CCMP course to practice modern (allopathic) medicine within a restricted scope. A government resolution dated August 13, 2014, had authorized the implementation of this course.
As per the law, such practitioners were to be registered in a separate registry maintained by the MMC. However, the Council had not yet created this independent registry, prompting a government directive on April 24, 2025, instructing the MMC to begin the process under Entry 28 of the Medical Council Act schedule.
In light of recent concerns, the state has now appointed a study committee comprising experts from both allopathy and homeopathy to examine the issue in detail. The panel has been given two months to submit its findings and recommendations to the government.
“Until the committee submits its findings and a final decision is taken, the ongoing registration process for CCMP-qualified practitioners shall remain on hold,” the government directed.
The development has reignited debate around cross-pathy—the practice of one medical system by practitioners trained in another—raising fresh questions about its legal and ethical implications in India’s healthcare landscape.
