Sack the tainted CCH Members from Maharashtra

Sack the tainted CCH Members from Maharashtra

Dr Sushil Vats

What is the job of CCH members, development of homoeopathic education or derailing the homoeopathy?

Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH) members elected from Maharashtra are trying to fulfil their election manifesto – Govt. Permission to practice Allopathy.

Homeopathy in Maharashtra is being ruined by its leaders, what right these leaders have to sit in CCH. They should be moved out of CCH for acting against homoeopath.

In Maharashtra CCH  members including CCH Vice president & one of the members of CCH executive take pride in getting State Govt. permission for legalizing allopathic practice for homeopaths. A group of homeopaths led by these ‘stalwarts’ had met Mr. Vijay Kumar Gavit; Minister for Health Govt of Maharashtra demanding blank permission to practice allopathy. Reacting to the demand Minister had said in the Assembly that since there is shortage of allopathic doctors, Govt. can allow homoeopaths to practice allopathy but for that homeopaths must study allopathic pharmacology, accordingly Maharashtra Medical Practitioner Act will be modified.

Most of the homoeopathic colleges in Maharashtra are owned by politicians or ‘homeopathic politicians’ and they are much worried about the dwindling number of admissions in these colleges. These politicians belonging to all the leading parties of the state have forced the government to take this decision. They believe that if homoeopaths can be allowed to use allopathic medicines under the protection of this order by the state government than number of admission in BHMS course in the colleges run by them will increase.

It is fine for the politicians to have this simple thought but what about the homoeopaths and C.C.H members one of them is vice-president of the C.C.H and few of them are the members of the various committees of the C.C.H, when they lobby for change of rule which has the potential of murdering homoeopathy not only in Maharashtra but all over India. They need to be shown the door out of C.C.H because they are acting against the basic spirit and ethics of the C.C.H act.

According to some politicians homoeopaths practicing in rural area are at disadvantage because Ayurvedic doctors practicing in these areas are allowed to practice allopathy. These politicians favour the govt permission to practice allopathy by qualified homoeopaths. A decade back Shiv Sena- BJP govt had passed an order allowing homeopaths to practice allopathy; however that order could not be executed because of technical deficiencies.

It is a well-known fact that that Maharashtra has maximum number of homoeopathic colleges in a single state in India. This is also a fact that Maharashtra does not have a single Govt. Homeopathy college & not a single Govt. Homoeopathy dispensary. In most of the private homeopathic colleges most of the patients are treated with allopathy. In a scenario like this rational homoeopathic knowledge & training cannot be administered to the students. For decades majority homoeopathic graduates have been practicing allopathy after passing homeopathic diploma or degree from these colleges.

No employment opportunities have further compelled these doctors to practice allopathy to survive in life. However The Bombay Homeopathic Practitioners Act 1959 does not allow registered homeopathic doctors to practice any system other than Homeopathy. Therefore homoeopaths using allopathic medicines are doing it at the risk of being persecuted. In fact there have been hundreds of complaints against homoeopaths who have harmed their patients with allopathic medicines.

The Maharashtra cabinet has given green signal for homoeopathic doctors to prescribe allopathic medicines, but with a rider that homoeopaths in the state have to undergo one year certificate course in allopathic pharmacology. Maharashtra has around 62,000 homoeopaths who are looking forward to exploit this course to practice allopathy (not all, but many) with a legal protection. This is a well known fact that more than 90 percent homeopaths in Maharashtra already practice allopathy with a homoeopathic degree. In fact this is the reason Maharashtra has maximum number of private homoeopathic colleges, over the years students who have passed from these colleges have been doing allopathic practice without much hurdle from government agencies.

The Indian Medical Association’s Maharashtra chapter has registered its strong opposition to this move by the state government. The IMA state unit has termed the cabinet decision as bad in law and a direct interference in the medical education in the state. IMA headquarter office is up-set with this decision and has asked state branch to move the court to challenge this regressive decision of the state cabinet. IMA state branch has issued an statement saying that an MBBS student learns pharmacology in the initial period of four & half year long course. How can a homeopathic doctor learn it in just a year?

Maharashtra government was pressurized by the strong lobby of Private homoeopathic medical college management to create some legal safe guard for strong force of 62,000 homoeopathic practitioners who have over the years indulged in allopathic practice. They said that practitioners of Ayurveda and Unani systems are allowed to prescribe allopathic drugs under the Maharashtra medical council act and drugs and cosmetics act, homoeopathic doctors should also have some sort of permission to prescribe allopathic medicines. Govt. of Maharashtra has been mulling over some way out to accept this long standing demand of homoeopathic doctors in the state and has come out with this illegal course.

In Dr Ashwin Patel’s case even Supreme Court ruled that homeopaths cannot practice allopathy. In this case CCH had stated that homoeopaths are not allowed to practice any system other than homoeopathy, and if a homoeopath is doing so he is liable to be punished by state boards, state governments & it is a criminal offence. The Supreme Court went on further to say that doctors should practice only the system of medicine they are qualified in. Any doctor doing so can invite action from concerned councils.

A senior homoeopath in Delhi said that in any case most of the homeopaths in Maharashtra practice allopathy but a blank permission to them to practice allopathy may give them a false confidence in their ability and they might take on many serious cases. This would result in many legal issues; more over this will invite strong reaction from Indian Medical Association as also from Medical Council of India. He further said that starting a refreshing course in allopathic pharmacology is not within the power of a state government, as this is the prerogative of MCI to start any allopathic course.

Government of Maharashtra under pressure from all powerful homeopathic colleges in the state is trying to commit a mistake which will invite censure not only from MCI, CCH but also from Supreme Court of India. If homoeopaths are allowed to practice allopathy in Maharashtra than other states may also follow the suit, we may reach a situation where everyone will be practicing allopathy with a homoeopathy degree. Homeopathy in Maharashtra is being ruined by its leaders, what right these leaders have to sit in CCH. They should be moved out of CCH for acting against homoeopath.

In a reply by CCH president Dr.Ramjee Singh about this disastrous action of Maharashtra govt. He termed the action of state govt. against the existing law and totally against the CCH act and also against MCI act. Asked about the role of his good friend and CCH Vice president Dr Arun Bhasme and other CCH members from Maharashtra in this decision he termed their act as unfortunate and anti-homoeopathy. He said recommendation of state government is meaningless as no such decision can common in to practice without amendment in MCI and CCH act. He said that the CCH members of Maharashtra are having a dream which will never see the light of the day as long as i am the CCH president.

Dr Aniruddh Verma senior CCH member informed  that he is likely to move a resolution in forth coming meeting of CCH to ask that  these members should be removed from CCH.

Whatever Dr Ramjee Singh might say and Dr.Verma promise it is fact that they were never sincere in their efforts to stop this non sense by their colleagues from Maharashthra. As a result Maharashtra government has taken a decision which has far reaching implication for homoeopathic education in this country and has put homoeopathy on death bad. Amin!

* This article originally published in Vital Informer Feb 2014