The Homeopathic Integrated Medical Practitioners Association, Maharashtra (HIMPAM) has praised the government’s decision to allow homeopaths to prescribe allopathic medicines.

HIMPAM representatives pointed out that in many rural areas, homeopaths and doctors of other disciplines were often the only medical practitioners available. “The ground realities being what they are, such a move is necessary to make up for the shortage of doctors and medical facilities in the rural areas,” said Dr Paresh Navalkar. Of the 26,000 registered in Maharashtra, 23,000 are in the rural districts.

Dr Navalkar pointed out that certain injuries and illnesses necessarily require emergency allopathic treatment. “Even things like sutures and IV fluids are considered as part of allopathy and illegal for us to use,” said Dr Sharad Rao, Mumbai chairman of HIMPAM.

The state government is planning a six-month training programme with an examination in allopathic pharmacology for homeopaths to equip themselves to prescribe medicines. The programme, which is supposed to be a compression of the usual one-and-a-half year course, is to be held in medical colleges in batches of a hundred. Training of all the doctors in the exercise is estimated to take three-and-a-half to four years.

“Anyway we go through the same rigorous four to five-year course as the allopathic doctors, including one yea of internship at a hospital. Many of the courses like physiology, surgery and medicine are the same, the only thing different being the pharmacology course,” Dr Navalkar said.

Doctors said such a move had been recommended by the first conference of health ministers and secretaries.“Maharashtra is the pioneer state in implementing the resolution,” Dr Rao said. Dr Navalkar noted that the committee had also recommended incorporating pharmacological training into the syllabus of current students.

Asked how the patient would be able to tell that the doctor was qualified, Dr Navalkar said a certificate would be given to those who had undergone training.

It’s good we can now prescribe allopathic drugs: homeopaths.The Times of India,July 8, 1999.