The Maharashtra government has framed its decision to allow homeopathic doctors to prescribe allopathic medicines, after undergoing a bridge course, as a pragmatic response to a vexing problem. Although the state has roughly one physician for every 700 people — better than the WHO’s benchmark of one doctor per 1,000 people — its rural areas have faced a persistent shortage of allopathic practitioners. Improving access to medical care in these areas is an urgent public health priority. But addressing that shortage by combining therapeutic systems is problematic. Different, often conflicting, principles underpin........

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