Over 12,000 resident doctors across Maharashtra begin indefinite strike today

Doctors with the Indian Medical Association have also intensified their state wide protest that commenced on Tuesday.

4 min readPuneUpdated: Aug 5, 2026 10:59 AM IST

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MARD, ASMI and all State Specialist Associations will join the protest from 12:00 AM midnight. (Photo: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

An approximate 12,000 resident doctors from across 32 government and corporation run medical colleges have announced an indefinite protest from Wednesday, as they oppose a proposed move to register homoeopathy practitioners, who have completed the Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology (CCMP) with the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC).

Doctors with the Indian Medical Association have also intensified their state wide protest that commenced on Tuesday. “Withdrawal of medical services that was initiated today will continue on Wednesday. From August 6 there will be indefinite withdrawal of services which will include emergency services,” IMA – Maharashtra office bearers announced late on Tuesday evening.

IMA doctors said there was a complete lack of assurance from the government regarding the CCMP certified homeopathy practitioners registration issue. In Pune, over 5,000 doctors who are registered members of the Indian Medical Association, Pune also shut their clinics and did not attend Out Patient Department (OPDs) as a mark of protest. Dr Alka Kshirsagar, President, Pune unit of IMA said that meetings were underway towards the future course of action and they will join in the state’s indefinite stir.

With IMA continuing the protest, resident doctors with MARD also submitted their memorandum of demands to Maharashtra Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif.

President of the central unit of MARD, Dr Atharva Shinde told The Indian Express that they had appealed an intervention to halt the proposed registration of CCMP – certified homeopathic practitioners with MMC until the Bombay High Court delivers the final verdict,” Dr Shinde said.

Resident doctors with MARD said this initiative is not directed against any particular system of medicine but it is intended to uphold patient safety and ensure adherence to legally recognized scopes of medical practice. “This strike is a collective and symbolic effort to respectfully request reconsideration of the proposed move,” Dr Dnyanesh Mantri, Vice President of Central MARD said. However, all emergency, casualty and life saving services will continue, MARD office bearers said.

Meanwhile this protest is being supported by various organisations including Maharashtra State Medical Teachers Association,Association of State Medical Interns, Maharashtra Association of Gazetted Medical Officers and others.

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Stop this mixopathy

The ongoing issue has sparked some strong reactions from top medical experts who have said that there was a need to ‘stop this mixopathy’. “Instead of blurring the boundaries between different systems of medicine, there is a need to strengthen each discipline independently while promoting appropriate interdisciplinary collaboration in patient care,” Dr Ravi Wankhedkar, former National President, Indian Medical Association told The Indian Express. “Nowhere in the country such a model exists that gives double registrations in two different councils. Equating a part-time, 90-day weekend course with a full-fledged medical qualification is detrimental to public healthcare and risks compromising the health and safety of the common people. Neither the National Medical Commission (NMC) nor the National Commission for Homoeopathy has recognized the CCMP course,” Dr Wankhedkar claimed.

As per official data, Maharashtra has 56 private homeopathy colleges and one government homeopathy college at Jalgaon. Around 5800 students are admitted every year for the BHMS course and there are approximately 32,000 students in Maharashtra. Around 10,000 have completed the CCMP course. “The matter is in the Bombay High Court and should now be allowed to reach its legal conclusion,” Dr Wankhedkar added. He also urged to strengthen quality assurance and enforce rigorous accreditation, adequate faculty, proper infrastructure, ethical training and regular independent audits to maintain high standards across all medical colleges.

Anuradha Mascarenhas

Anuradha Mascarenhas is a Senior Editor at The Indian Express, based in Pune. With a career spanning three decades, she is one of the most respected voices in Indian journalism regarding healthcare, science and environment and research developments. She also takes a keen interest in covering women's issues . Professional Background Education: A gold medalist in Communication and Journalism from Savitribai Phule Pune University and a Master’s degree in Literature. Author: She authored the biography At The Wheel Of Research, which chronicles the life and work of Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO. Key Focus: She combines scientific accuracy with storytelling, translating complex medical research into compelling public and human-interest narratives. Awards and Recognition Anuradha has won several awards including the Press Council of India's national award for excellence in journalism under the gender based reporting category in 2019 and the Laadli Media award (gender sensitivity -2024). A recipient of the Lokmat journalism award (gender category-2022), she was also shortlisted for the RedInk awards for excellence in journalism-2021. Her debut book At The Wheel Of Research, an exclusive biography of Dr Soumya Swaminathan the inaugural chief scientist of World Health Organisation was also nominated in the Popular Choice Category of JK Paper AUTHER awards. She has also secured competitive fellowships including the Laadli Media Fellowship (2022), the Survivors Against TB – New Research in TB Media Fellowship (2023) and is part of the prestigious 2025 India Cohort of the WomenLift Health Leadership Journey.” Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025) 1. Cancer & Specialized Medical Care "Tata Memorial finds way to kill drug-resistant cancer cells" (Nov 26, 2025): Reporting on a breakthrough for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Discipline, diet and purpose; How a 97-year-old professor defies ageing'' (Nov 15, 2025) Report about Prof Gururaj Mutalik, the first Head of Department at Pune's B J Government Medical College who at 97 credits his longevity to healthy habits and a strong sense of purpose. 2. Environmental Health (The "Breathless Pune" Series) Long-term exposure even to 'moderate' air leads to chronic heart, lung, kidney issues" (Nov 26, 2025): Part of an investigative series highlighting that even "safe" pollution levels are damaging to vital organs. "For every 10 µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 level, there was 6-8% jump in medicine sales" (Nov 23, 2025): Using commercial data to prove the direct link between air quality and respiratory illnesses in Pune. 3. Lifestyle & Wellness News "They didn't let cancer, diabetes and heart disease stop them from travelling" (Dec 22, 2025): A collaborative piece featuring survivors who share practical tips for traveling with chronic conditions. At 17, his BP shot up to 200/120 mmHG; Lancet study flags why child and teen hypertension doubled between 2000 and 2020'' (Nov 12,2025)--A report that focusses on 17-year-old-boy's hypertensive crisis and reflects the rising global trend of high blood pressure among children and adolescents. 4. Scientific Recognition & Infrastructure For promoting sci-comm, gender diversity: IUCAA woman prof highlighted in Nature" (Nov 25, 2025): Covering the global recognition of Indian women scientists in gender studies and physics. Pune researchers find a spiral galaxy like the Milky Way from early universe'' (December 3, 2025)- A report on how Indian researchers discovered a massive galaxy that existed when the universe was just 1.5 billion years old , one of the earliest to have been observed so far. Signature Beat: Health, Science & Women in Leadership Anuradha is known for her COVID-19 reportage, where she was one of the first journalists to provide detailed insights into the Covishield and Covaxin trials. She has a dedicated interest in gender diversity in health and science, often profiling women researchers who are breaking the "leaky pipeline" in STEM fields. Her writing style is scrupulous, often featuring interviews with top-tier scientists and health experts from various institutions. ... Read More

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