Baba Ramdev crossed red line with false claims of curing Covid, calling modern medicine 'stupid': IMA president

NEW DELHI: Baba Ramdev crossed a red line when he claimed he could cure Covid-19, said Indian Medical Association (IMA) president Dr R V Asokan. Criticizing yoga guru, the IMA chief also said Ramdev maligned modern medicine by calling it a "stupid and bankrupt science".

Dr Asokan highlighted the potential consequences of such statements, particularly their adverse impact on public trust and healthcare practices.

"He crossed a red line. We have been tolerating mediocracy in this country for too long. Our profession also has been tolerating this and we never wanted to prove anything to anyone. He crossed a line when he advertised about Coronil (a Patanjali tablet) and said WHO has approved it which was a wrong statement," Dr Asokan was quoted as saying.

Dr Asokan addressed the issue amidst ongoing legal proceedings involving Ramdev and his multibillion-dollar consumer goods empire Patanjali Ayurved. This also comes a day before the top court is scheduled to hear the matter next.

Dr Asokan said Ramdev went against the medical profession by saying "modern medicine is a stupid and bankrupt science". "He went against the national interest when the government was driving the vaccination programme. He said 20,000 doctors died after taking two doses of the Covid vaccine. And he was having such a high profile that you know people believed what he said. That was the unfortunate part of it," he said.

The Supreme Court's recent rebuke of Ramdev and Patanjali Ayurved over misleading advertisements prompted IMA's response. The court's observations raised concerns about the integrity of the Covid-19 vaccination drive and modern medical practices, prompting IMA to file a plea alleging a smear campaign against these initiatives.

Dr Asokan emphasized the importance of ethical medical practices and expressed dismay over the Supreme Court's comments, which he deemed as undermining the profession's integrity.

Dr Asokan said IMA is not against traditional systems of medicine. "We have lived with all these decades. We respect each other. But somehow some sections of the society thought we are anti-traditional systems and, as for the public apology, it was to the Supreme Court. And it's more about the contempt of the court than the substance of the thing."

"I think the court has not said its final verdict. We need to wait. Whether we are satisfied or not will depend on the verdict. It's not about the apology that he has given, it is for the court to tell us whether he crossed the line by abusing modern medicine," he said.