Bombay High Court Ends Maharashtra Doctors' Strike

Resident doctors in Maharashtra called off a statewide strike on Thursday, August 6, 2026, following a directive from the Bombay High Court ordering them to immediately resume work. The court's intervention ended a protest that had disrupted non-emergency services at public hospitals and centered on a contentious state policy allowing certain homeopathy practitioners to prescribe allopathic medicines.

The indefinite strike began at midnight on Wednesday, August 5, after the Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) failed to receive assurances from the state government over its objections. The protest targeted a recent notification from the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) permitting eligible Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery (BHMS) graduates to register with the council after completing a bridge course, known as the Certificate Course in Modern Pharmacology.

During the strike's first 24 hours, emergency and casualty services continued, but outpatient departments, elective surgeries, routine duties, and academic activities at government medical colleges were suspended. The action involved approximately 12,000 resident doctors.