Baba Ramdev’s somersault on criticism of allopathy
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev has done a somersault on his criticism of allopathy, which invited the wrath of Indian Medical Association (IMA).
IMA issued a legal notice to Ramdev yesterday, over his alleged statements against allopathy and “defaming" scientific medicine. In a video going viral on social media, Ramdev has claimed that allopathy is a “stupid science" and medicines such as Remdesivir, Faviflu, and other drugs approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) have failed to treat Covid-19 patients. Earlier, he had reportedly accused modern medical practitioners as “murderers".
IMA, Resident Doctors’ Associations of All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Safdarjung Hospital, as well as doctors belonging to other associations have also written to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan seeking action against Ramdev for “misleading public about Covid-19 treatment".
Within hours of the IMA letter going to the Health Minister going public, Ramdev’s Patanjali Yogapeeth has issued a statement denying “allegations” that Ramdev has misled people by making “unlearned" statements against allopathy and defamed scientific medicine. The statement said that Ramdev has “utmost regards" for doctors and support staff who have been working day and night during such a challenging time of the pandemic.
The Patanjali Yogapeeth’s statement signed by Ramdev’s associate Acharya Balakrishna said that the yoga guru merely read out a message on the social media and that he has no ill-will against modern science and good practitioners of modern medicine.
In the video being circulated Ramdev has stated, “Lakhs of patients have died after taking allopathic medicines." IMA has said in its letter that Ramdev should be prosecuted under the Epidemic Diseases Act as “untutored" statements are “a threat to the literate society of the country as well as to the poor people falling prey to him."
“The Union health minister (Harsh Vardhan) who himself is a practising modern medicine allopathic postgraduate and head of this (health) ministry, should either accept the challenge and accusation of this gentleman and dissolve the modern medical facility or boldly face and prosecute the person for his words of arson on the sovereignty of the country and book him under the Epidemic Act to save millions of people from such unscientific utterances,” the IMA letter said, adding, “The IMA demands and resolves if the minister (Harsh Vardhan) is not taking suo moto action we will be forced to resort to democratic means of struggle to propagate the truth to the common man and knock the doors of the judiciary to get due to justice, it said. Taking people for ransom and winning business by defaming scientific medicine are unpardonable offences.”
IMA has demanded that Ramdev should be booked under relevant sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1987.