Maharashtra allows homeopathy doctors to give affordable medicine after bridge course; critics question the policy

What happened in Maharashtra

Maharashtra has introduced a policy that allows homeopathy doctors to administer or prescribe modern medicines, or provide affordable treatment, after completing a bridge course. The bridge course is positioned as a pathway to let existing homeopathy practitioners take on limited modern-medicine-related responsibilities.

Background and earlier position

Homeopathy and modern medicine are separate systems of healthcare in India, each with its own training and regulatory expectations. Before this Maharashtra move, homeopathy practitioners were generally expected to practice within their system, not to switch into modern medicines prescribing or administering roles through a short additional pathway.

What changed now (policy core and scope)

The Maharashtra policy change is centred on permission after a bridge course, enabling homeopathy doctors to: administer modern medicines, orprescribe modern medicines, orprovide affordable treatment through a framework that relies on homeopathy practitioners. The policy uses the bridge course as the qualifying mechanism for enabling these roles.