Updated on 28 May, 2021
Following the controversial statement on allopathy, the Indian Medical Association’s offensive stance against Swami Ramdev continues. After complaints from the PMM and defamation case of 1000 crores, a complaint has been lodged against them in Delhi as well.
On behalf of the IMA, the Secretary-General, Dr. Jayesh Lele has filed this complaint. In the complaint given in Delhi’s IP State Police Station, IMA said that Swami Ramdev is raising doubts about the vaccine in the minds of people, obstructing the work of government employees. The complaint letter further states, ‘Ramdev and his associates have done wrong work to harm the medical community and the general public. Those involved with Ramdev in this conspiracy should be investigated. An FIR should be registered in this regard.
An allopathic doctor from Dehradun said that the latest video of the yoga guru showed that he is not at all embarrassed after making ‘insensitive’ remarks about allopathy and allopathic doctors. He said, ‘Ramdev’s statement is full of arrogance. It shows that he considers himself above the law.’
After a strong letter from Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on 23rd May, Baba Ramdev may have withdrawn his statement expressing regret, but on 24th he has again raised questions on allopathy. In an ‘open letter’ posted on his Twitter handle, Ramdev posed 25 questions to IMA, which had objected to his video clip running down allopathy treatment for COVID-19.
In a strongly worded letter, Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan Sunday asked Baba Ramdev, the founder of Patanjali Ayurved, to “completely withdraw” his “objectionable and unfortunate statement” against allopathy in relation to COVID treatment as it can “break the morale of doctors and weaken our fight against the pandemic”.
Responding to a letter from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan, Ramdev said he wants to put the matter to rest. “Hon’ble Minister, I have received your letter. I withdraw my statement, putting to rest the controversy over various medical practices… (jee aapaka patr praapt hua, uske sandarbh mein chikitsa paddatiyon ke sangharsh ke is poore vivaad ko khedapoorvak viraam dete hue main apna vaktavya vaapis leta hoon),” Ramdev tweeted from his personal Twitter handle, attaching his statement. Regarding the video in question, Ramdev said he was actually reading out messages forwarded on WhatsApp.
The Indian Medical Association, i.e. the institution of doctors, wrote a letter to Dr. Harsh Vardhan expressing his displeasure over the statement of the yoga teacher. Citing a video circulating on social media, the IMA said 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 have failed to treat COVID-19 patients. The doctor’s body also quoted Ramdev as saying that “lakhs of patients have died after taking allopathic medicines”.
He asked if allopathy offered permanent relief from hypertension (BP) and type-1 and 2 diabetes. “Does the pharma industry have permanent treatment for thyroid, arthritis, colitis and asthma?” he asked.
Ramdev went on to ask if allopathy had medicines for fatty liver and liver cirrhosis. “Like you found a cure for TB and chicken pox, look for treatments for liver ailments. After All, allopathy is now 200 years old.”
He further asked what non-surgical cure does the pharma industry have for heart blockage. “What treatment is there for cholesterol.” “Does the pharma industry have treatment for migraine?”, or treatment for constipation and bloating amnesia without any side effects, he said.
The yoga guru went on to list modern day ailments such as Parkinson’s disease and asked if allopathy had any painless cure to treat infertility as well as to reverse ageing and increase hemoglobin.
“Doctors should not fall ill at all if allopathy is all powerful and ‘sarvagun sampanna’ (having all good qualities),” he remarked in a 24th April tweet.
