Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday asked Baba Ramdev to withdraw his “objectionable and unfortunate” comments on allopathic medicine, reprimanding the yoga guru for making such remarks in the first place.
"The people of the country are very hurt by your remark on allopathic medicines. I have already talked to you about this feeling over the phone. Doctors and health workers are like gods for the people for whom they are fighting against the coronavirus risking their lives," Vardhan said in a two-page letter written in Hindi.
"You have not only insulted corona warriors, but hurt the feelings of the people of the country. Your clarification is not enough to make up for it. I hope you will think hard about it and withdraw your statements completely.”
Also read: Centre must take action against Ramdev for making unscientific statements against allopathy: IMA
The reproach from the minister comes a day after Indian Medical Association flagged a video to Vardhan in which the yoga guru was purportedly saying "Allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwalia science hai (Allopathy is such a stupid and bankrupt science).
Ramdev who established the Patanjali brand of products was also heard saying at a recent event, "Lakhs of people have died because of allopathic medicines, far more than those who died because they did not get treatment or oxygen".
Besides IMA, several other medical associations lodged protests against Ramdev. While IMA and the Federation of All India Medical Association served legal notices to Ramdev for his alleged baseless accusations against evidence-based medicine, Delhi Medical Association filed a police complaint against the celebrated yoga practitioner.
In his letter, Vardhan said, “The statement disrespects the corona warriors. Your statement on allopathy can break the morale of healthcare workers and weaken our fight against Covid-19. Vaccine is an important weapon against corona and it came from allopathy.”
Deccan Herald is on WhatsApp Channels| Join now for Breaking News & Editor's Picks