The Union health minister’s letter to the yoga guru came after the IMA demanded the Centre to take strict action. New Delhi: Feeling pressure from the Union health minister as well as the Indian Medical Association (IMA), yoga guru and businessman Ramdev on Sunday night said he was “withdrawing” his statements criticising allopathic medicines. Ramdev had earlier reportedly said that more people are dying due to modern medicines during the COVID-19 crisis than the virus itself.
Union health minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday called Ramdev’s statement on allopathic medicines “extremely unfortunate” and asked him to withdraw it, a day after the IMA demanded that the Centre should take strict action against him for “misleading people by making unlearned” comments and describing modern medicine as “stupid science”.
Citing a video circulating on social media, the IMA on Saturday had 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 doctors’ body also quoted Ramdev as saying that “lakhs of patients have died after taking allopathic medicines”.
These remarks were denied as misconstrued by the Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust, headed by Ramdev. Patanjali too has been criticised during this crisis for advertising its product Coronil as a cure for the novel coronavirus – with the support of the Union health minister.
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