Homeopathy and Indian medicine doctors may be allowed to practice Allopathy

New Delhi: National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill, 2017, if passed by Parliament of India, may lay a fertile ground for doctors practising ancient Indian medicines to take to allopathy after completing a bridge course. As per the media reports, the bill seeks to allow doctors pursuing courses in Indian system of medicines like Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy, to practice modern medicine after passing a bridge course, the curriculum for which will be decided by a joint annual sitting of NMC and other councils.
The bill envisages creating a rich interface between ancient Indian and modern medicine to allow co-ordination and co-location of practitioners between the two. Clause 49 of NMC bill, calls for a joint sitting of the members of NMC, Central Council of Homeopathy and Central Council of Indian Medicine every year, to discuss the measures which can be taken up to enhance interface between Indian and modern system of medicine. The sub-section (4) of clause 49 of NMC bill says, the joint sitting may through a vote “decide on approving specific bridge course that may be introduced for the practitioners of Homoeopathy and of Indian systems of Medicine to enable them to prescribe such modern medicines at such level as may be prescribed”. It continues, “The joint sitting... (may) decide on approving specific educational modules or programmes that may be introduced in the undergraduate course and the postgraduate course across (all) medical systems and to develop bridges...(to) promote medical pluralism”.
Controversies surrounding the issue
Several viewpoints have come up with regards to NMC proposal of enhancing the interface between ancient and modern medicines. Factions in favour of integrating modern and Indian medicine argue the need for co-locating doctors between Indian medicine system and allopathy to counter the much-stressing figure of 0.63:1000 doctor-population ratio in India against WHO prescribed norm of 1:1000 and enhance the number of doctors.
Indian Medical Association (IMA) has come out strongly in opposition to the move, arguing that physiology and anatomy considered in both strands of medicine systems might be same, but both have very different and non-parallel ways of treatment. They also believe that going ahead with this proposal will cripple medical professions.

What can past judgements tell us about the matter?
It may help the stakeholders of present matter to know that back in 2014, Maharashtra government approved a bill in its state assembly seeking to allow homeopathic doctors to practice allopathy after the study of Pharmacology Bridge course of one-year. Although after heavy protest by IMA, they couldn’t get a favourable judgement at that time. Besides Maharashtra, many other state governments in India like Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, etc. have time and again taken measures allowing AYUSH practitioners in rural areas and other areas to prescribe allopathic medicines and shuffle between the two practices.

However, it must be noted that NMC bill 2017 is only a proposal at present and may change on way to becoming an act. NMC seeks to revolutionize the face of medical education in India. Amongst several reforms proposed by it, one of the major changes which will be brought by NMC bill 2017 is to replace Medical Council of India (MCI), the present apex regulator of medical education in the country.