Ramdev’s attempts to run down other streams of medicine are not in good taste

The controversy surrounding yoga guru Ramdev refuses to die down. It is his own doing. He has ranged himself against the world of allopathy by claiming that the alternative science of ayurveda that he practices is superior. He chose an unfortunate time — right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic — for his derision of allopathy. The yoga guru called the allopathic treatment of Coronavirus a “tamasha (farce), bekaar (worthless) and diwaliya (lame duck)”. That was not all. Ramdev ridiculed the clamour for oxygen cylinders, wondering how can there be shortage of oxygen when God has filled the atmosphere with it. The doctors took umbrage at his words. The Indian Medical Association (IMA) formally protested and sought action against him. Top doctors said the disparaging remarks were frustrating to frontline medical workers. The doctors should not fall ill at all if allopathy is all-powerful, Ramdev remarked, his attack against allopathy unceasing. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan finally intervened and wrote a letter to Ramdev, criticising the remarks and asking him to withdraw them. The Minister said the yoga guru’s remarks were demoralising the medical force, hurting doctors and people alike and that his explanations were unsatisfactory. Ramdev must have realised he had gone too far this time, for he promptly issued a statement withdrawing his remarks. The withdrawal was, however, not unconditional, with him insisting that he and his workers have also, by using ayurveda and yoga, saved lives during the pandemic and this should be respected as well.

The very next day, he posted an open letter on his Twitter handle, posing questions to the IMA if allopathy offered permanent solutions for ailments like diabetes, hypertension, asthma, thyroid, arthritis and colitis. The post raged along those lines, repeatedly pointing out that allopathy was unable to find permanent cures despite being a 200-year-old science. Strange that Ramdev chose the pandemic to run down allopathy. There appears no reason other than trying to brand ayurveda as a superior science by criticising allopathy and promote his own products. He had no option but to withdraw his remarks, though he never meant to be sorry, given his combative tweet. It is but natural for competing alternative sciences to posture, but that is never at the cost of ruining the reputation of the other. In India, where medical care is handled primarily by allopathy, there is a Ministry for propagation of indigenous, alternative medicine systems called the Ministry of AYUSH — Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha Sowa-Rigpa and Homoeopathy. Would the yoga guru have recommended any one of his own people suffering from COVID-19 to reject allopathic treatment and seek only alternative medicine therapy? This is the time of the pandemic when all medicine systems are doing their best to control it or any aspect of it. These systems do not compete with one another, but complement one another, just as they ought to.