Mumbai: The state government took a step back on its decision to allow homeopaths to prescribe modern medicine by setting up a 7-member committee that will decide on the matter within two months. Interestingly, neither the homeopaths nor doctors with the Indian Medical Association (IMA) have said they will accept the committee’s decision if it is not in their favour.
The committee includes officials from the medical education department, AYUSH directorates, Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, and registrars from both the modern medicine and homeopathy councils.
IMA (Maharashtra) head, Santosh Kadam, said the case challenges the root cause of the problem – the 2014 amendment to the Maharashtra Homoeopathic Practitioners Act and the Maharashtra Medical Council Act of 1965, which are still pending before Bombay HC. “While the committee can study the subject matter, their decision will not be accepted if it is against public interest. The court’s decision will be final for us. We have faith in the judiciary,” he said.
Maharashtra Homeopathic Council administrator, Bahubali Shah, said, “There is no faith in the committee set up as no homeopath is on it; they have put a clerk instead.”
For the past 10 days, the medical community was anxious over allowing homeopaths to practice modern medicine based on a one-year pharmacology course, as it could pose serious risks to public health.
