IMA challenges Baba Ramdev for on open debate

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Uttarakhand on Friday challenged Baba Ramdev for an open debate on a public platform in the presence of media. This comes after the yoga guru made defamatory statements against allopathy and defamed scientific medicine.

Last Saturday, the IMA had sent a legal notice to Ramdev over his alleged statements against allopathy and defaming scientific medicine. However, the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust has denied allegations by the IMA has Ramdev has misled people by making “unlearned” statements against allopathy and defamed scientific medicine. But Ramdev withdrew his statement on allopathic medicine and also received a strong-worded letter from Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan who called his remarks inappropriate.

Dr Ajay Khanna, IMA Uttarakhaner said.d President, described Ramdev’s statement as rash, irresponsible and selfish. In a letter to Ramdev, Dr Khanna said, “This is to inform you that IMA UA State through its state office request you to constitute a team of qualified and duly registered Ayurvedacharyas from Patanjali Yogpeeth to have a one-to-one discussion with a team of doctors of IMA UA State which has already been constituted by the staff office.” It said the one-to-one panel discussion shall be closely supervised and recorded by the electronic and print media which shall also be invited in this panel discussion.

The letter stated that Ramdev and his aide Balkrishna can also join the team of Ayurvedacharyas but only as spectators because they have not sent the qualification to the state office of the IMA. “The proposal is for your kind consideration and implementation at the earliest to ensure that the deadlock and the confusion created by you shall meet its end. From this day onwards the onus lies on you regarding the above issue,” the letter said.

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The IMA also demanded details of hospitals where he has claimed that Patanjali medicines have been used. The medical body had also appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take appropriate action under sedition and other charges against Ramdev for allegedly spearheading a misinformation campaign on COVID vaccination.

“At this juncture, we are pained to bring to your kind notice, two videos where Ramdev, owner of Patanjali Ayurved, is seen inter alia to be claiming that 10,000 doctors have died in spite of taking both the dose of vaccine and that lakhs of people have died due to allopathic medicine. He has also claimed that “Allopathy Ek stupid aur Diwaliya Science Hai” and that thousands of people have died from taking allopathic medicines for the treatment of COVID-19 related symptoms,” the letter said.