Baba Ramdev on Sunday withdrew his statements on allopathic and modern medicines after receiving a strong-worded letter from Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan who called his remarks "inappropriate".
"We do not oppose modern medical science and allopathy. We believe that allopathy has shown immense progress in surgery and the lifesaving system and served humanity. My statement that has been quoted was part of a WhatsApp message that I was reading during a meeting of volunteers. I am sorry if it has hurt anyone's sentiment," wrote Ramdev in his letter to the Union Health Minister in Hindi.
"Underlining the demerits of a medical system should not be considered as an attack on it. This is not at all opposed to science. Everyone should be progressive while evaluating themselves. Similarly, some allopathic doctors must not disrespect Ayurveda and Yoga, the Indian medical system by calling it 'pseudo science'. This also hurts the sentiments of crores of people," he highlighted.
Ramdev said if modern medical science has found the treatment of chicken pox, polio, TB, then Indian medical systems like Yoga, Ayurveda and Naturopathy have developed the treatment and permanent solution of complex and hereditary diseases like hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, thyroid, fatty liver and asthma.
"Allopathic doctors have saved people's lives in the COVID times keeping their own lives at risk. We respect them. We also saved the lives of crores of people through the research of Ayurveda and Yoga. It should also be respected. I will continue to support the fight against COVID and post COVID complications and work to free people from diseases and serve mankind by integrating all systems in the future," he said.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday has written a letter to yoga guru Baba Ramdev asking him to take back his statements on allopathic medicines and modern medicine and called it "unfortunate and inappropriate".
"You should be aware that smallpox, polio, Ebola, SARS and TB have been diagnosed and treated by allopathy medicine. In this fight against COVID, vaccination is proved to be an important weapon which is also given by allopathy. In your defence, you said the statement is not against modern science or good doctors. I do not consider the clarification is enough. I hope you will ponder over the topic with seriousness and take back the offensive and unfortunate statement keeping in mind the feeling of corona warriors across the world," said the Union Minister.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday sent a legal notice to yoga guru Ramdev over his alleged statements against allopathy and "defaming" scientific medicine. However, the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust has denied allegations by the IMA that Ramdev has misled people by making "unlearned" statements against allopathy and defamed scientific medicine.
"IMA brings to the notice of our Health Minister, a video circulating in social media portraying, the celebrated Yoga Guruji saying that 'modern allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwaliya science hai' (modern allopathy is a stupid and failed science)," the association said in its statement.
According to a Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust statement, Yog Guru Ramdev was reading out a WhatsApp forwarded message in the video that has gone viral on social media.
( With inputs from ANI )
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