Homeopaths turn to allopathy amid job insecurity in Maharashtra
Homeopathic practitioners in Maharashtra are increasingly seeking to practice allopathic medicine due to job insecurity and a lack of MBBS doctors in rural areas. While some have received certification for modern pharmacology, the medical community remains divided on the safety and efficacy of this cross-practice.
Why it matters
It underscores the critical shortage of qualified medical professionals in underserved regions and the resulting risks of alternative practitioners filling the gap.
The country's first medical council-registered homeopath, Mankhurd-based Neha Pawar, has kept her shop closed for the past year. In its place stands a motor driving school. Pawar was given her certificate by the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) on Aug 3, despite severe pushback from the medical community.Maharashtra's total count of homeopaths allowed to practice modern medicine based on a one-year Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) rose to ten this week, with Pawar and Mayuresh Kamble being the only two based in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region. There are more than 10,000 such applicants. Experts point out that this massive demand to cross-practice stems from large-scale job insecurity.Dr Abhay Shukla, co-convener of Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, said, "We need to sympathise with them. They have years of training into something that does not work. Policies should now use whatever skills they have.
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