MUMBAI: The ambitious plan to equip alternate medicine graduates with a working knowledge of allopathy has hit a roadblock. The one-year course was proposed by medical education minister Dr Vijay Kumar Gavit in July last year to train graduates with core degrees in ayurveda, homeopathy and unani to practice allopathy in rural areas.

Last week, the chief minister’s office asked the department of medical education to clarify if the course could be started without the approval of the Medical Council of India (MCI) or its state chapter, he Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC). It may be pointed out that the department has been well aware that the one-year courses—Pharmacology of Modern Medicine, Ayurveda Pharmacology, Homeopathy Pharmacology and Unani Pharmacology—may not have the mandatory MCI approval.

An official from the department said, “It is not a roadblock. The CM’s office has just asked for a compliance report on whether the course can be started without the approval of MCI. We are in the process of framing our response.” The official said the state is well within its right to start a course though candidates with the certificate cannot practice outside the state. “The state can pass an ordinance and start offering the certificate courses. In any case, alternate medicine graduates do not come under the purview of the MCI,” said the official. The proposal is supposed to be sent for cabinet’s approval after getting a go-ahead from the chief minister’s office.

Maharashtra will be the first state to offer such a course that will provide legal sanction to ayurveda, unani and homeopathy graduates to practice allopathy. The course material was prepared in a record time of three months. All 14 state-run and 27 private medical colleges will offer the course.

President of Maharashtra Council of Homeopathy Dr Bahubali Shah, who was instrumental in designing the courses, said the courses have duration of 500 hours and will be taught mostly on weekends.