Pune: State minister for medical education Hasan Mushrif on Tuesday said a decision on the matter of Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) registration of practitioners with BHMS and Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) would be taken on Wednesday.The meeting under Mushrif went on till late evening wherein representatives of homeopathy practitioners and allopathy doctors put forward their arguments. Later, both parties threatened to stop work if their demands were not met, with doctors raising questions about patient safety.MMC administrator Dr Vinky Rughwani said, ”The two sides presented their cases. The minister said a final decision would be conveyed on Wednesday.”MMC registrar Dr Rakesh Waghmare said, “Officials of MMC and medical education department have been called for a meeting on Wednesday, when the final decision may be taken.”Registration of BHMS-CCMP practitioners with MMC has been a bone of contention for years. Despite govt notification instructing the MMC to begin registrations, the council has allegedly stalled the process because of Indian Medical Association (IMA) and other allopathy doctors’ associations severe opposition and threats of a state-wide strike as well as withdrawal of medical services.In 2014, the Maharashtra govt had amended the law to grant authority to CCMP-qualified homeopathy practitioners to practise modern medicine. Subsequently, thousands of doctors completed the necessary education and training to meet all eligibility criteria. However, they continue to await registration and have alleged MMC has created professional and administrative difficulties for them.President of the CCMP Homeopathic Doctors Association, Maharashtra, Dr Balkrishna Gaikwad said, ”The govt has not conveyed a final decision. We have been waiting since 2014 and have abided by the state govt’s laws. Our doctors have completed their course and have the right to get their licence. We will be forced to take extreme measures if the matter is delayed further.”Gaikwad said, ”IMA adopted a stance during the meeting that further proceedings should only take place after the pending court matter is resolved. It caused deep resentment among qualified BHMS-CCMP doctors, who said it is unjust for the registration process to be delayed, despite the govt’s positive approach. There was deep frustration among our doctors, as there was no final decision despite waiting all day. If the MMC does not initiate the registration process following the medical education minister’s clear directives, a peaceful yet indefinite protest will be launched outside the MMC office in Mumbai starting Wednesday. The agitation will continue until all eligible CCMP doctors receive the registration.”Maharashtra govt, department of medical education and MMC must implement Mushrif’s directives and ensure justice, added Gaikwad.IMA Maharashtra president Dr Santosh Kulkarni said, “The minister has said the govt will take a final decision soon. We said the registrations must not begin till then. If our demands are not met, we reserve the right to initiate a complete withdrawal of medical services (work shutdown). We will announce our next steps immediately after the minister clarifies the govt’s stance.”Earlier, the IMA had threatened a state-wide strike and withdrawal of all medical services, including OPD and emergency services, if the MMC went ahead with registrations. Resultantly, the govt tried to broker peace and called a joint meeting on Tuesday.
