The National Commission for Homoeopathy (NCH) has said that homoeopathic practitioners cannot practice any other system of medicine, while making it clear that they can work under national health and other government programmes subject to prescribed training.
The regulation states that “a Homoeopathic practitioner shall not practise any other system of medicine other than Homoeopathy. At the same time, the proviso to the regulation makes a specific exception for practitioners working under government programmes. The proviso further specifies that this is allowed “provided that the practitioner has undergone the training or course recognised or prescribed by the competent authority. The clarification effectively distinguishes between the general prohibition on homoeopathic practitioners practising other systems of medicine and their permitted role in specified government programmes.
Under the regulations, therefore, a homoeopathic practitioner cannot independently practise another system of medicine merely by virtue of being a homoeopathic medical graduate. The NCH said the clarification was issued to ensure that the provisions of Regulation 36(y), including its proviso, are “understood and reported accurately and in their proper regulatory context. The Commission has also drawn attention to Sub-regulation (7) of Regulation 14 of the National Commission for Homoeopathy (Homoeopathy Graduate Degree Course ‘” Bachelor of Homoeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS)) Regulations, 2022. The NCH has emphasised that the proviso forms an integral part of Regulation 36(y) and should be taken into account while interpreting the restriction on practising other systems of medicine.
