The Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) has opposed the state government's move to allow doctors from Ayurveda, Homoeopathy and Unani to prescribe allopathy in the state. The association believes that the problem of antibiotic resistance will go through the roof in next some years due to wrongful prescribing.

The association has requested the state government to allow only allopathic doctors to practice allopathy and the Maharashtra government should also come up with the decision of not allowing practitioner of Indian systems of medicine to practice modern system of medicine.

Sagar Mundada, president of Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors, says “Antibiotic resistance is a worldwide problem. Within a year's time, patients with this bacterial gene were discovered in the US, UK, Canada, Japan and China. So far, cases in more than 70 countries have been reported. Some had travelled to the Indian subcontinent and been exposed through medical treatment and hospital stays, but many had never been here, suggesting local transmission within those countries. India is being labelled as the antibiotic resistance capital of the world.”

He further says, “In such a scenario, if the government takes decision to allow doctors from all pathies (Homoeopathy, Ayurveda and Unani) to practice allopathy, the problem of antibiotic resistance will increase in next some years due to wrongful prescribing. One year course in pharmacology does not give the needed expertise. Many doctors at rural level prescribe steroids without thinking of faster results, this in turn results in long term damage to patient. When the government is on one hand promoting Indian form of medicine, allowing these doctors to practice western medicine and not their own pathy is not fair from the government side.”

Recently the Delhi High Court has upheld the decision of not allowing the practitioner of Indian systems of medicine to practice modern scientific system of medicine. But, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are the states where Ayush graduates are legally allowed to prescribe allopathic drugs.