Chief Justice DY Chandrachud said he totally relied on Ayush medicine when he was down with Covid. His statement has left practitioners of modern medicine fuming.
The gesture of Chief Justice of India regarding the AYUSH medicine has not gone down well with the modern medicine doctors. (Supplied)
It is one bitter pill that practitioners of modern medicine find hard to swallow.
Inaugurating an Ayush Holistic Wellness Centre on the Supreme Court premises, Chief Justice DY Chandrachud shared his Covid-19 experience and the courtesy call he had received from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Recalling the Covid-19 days, Chief Justice Chandrachud said Modi informed him of a Vaidya — a practitioner — also a secretary of Ayush (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy), and arranged for an interaction.
“I have been associated with Ayush ever since the outbreak of Covid broke,” he said on Thursday, 22 February.
“I had a bad bout of Covid and the prime minister rang me up and said, ‘I believe that you are down with Covid and I hope everything is fine. I realise that you are not in good shape. And then he told me, ‘There is a Vaidya and I’ll arrange for a call with him and he’ll send you the medicine ‘,” the chief justice reminisced.
Chief Justice Chandrachud said he relied exclusively on Ayush medicine during his first encounter with Covid-19, and subsequently, during the second and third bouts, he refrained from taking any allopathic medicine.
The chief justice expressed satisfaction over the inauguration of the Ayush Holistic Wellness Centre, terming it a “satisfying moment”.
“For me, this is a satisfying moment. I have been working on this ever since I took over as the CJI. I am a proponent of Ayurveda and holistic lifestyle,” he said while declaring the centre open.
“We have over 2,000 staff members, and we must look at a holistic pattern of living, not just for the judges and their immediate families but for the staff members too… I am deeply grateful to all the doctors at Ayush… We are unveiling this for the Supreme Court and through it, for the entire nation,” he added.
However, the chief justice lauding Ayush medicine did not go down well with the modern medicine doctors.
Dr Ambrish Mithal, an endocrinologist and Padma Bhushan awardee was disappointed over the chief justice speaking about Ayush medicine to counter Covid-19.
“We should realize that there is NO scientific evidence of any ayurvedic drug being effective against the coronavirus. The evidence for ANY drug (from any system of medicine) being effective in Covid is limited. Many people will believe his words,” Dr Mithal said.
He, however, backed following a healthy, holistic lifestyle, practising yoga early in the morning, and making food choices based on personal beliefs and health.
“It’s quite another thing to propagate unproven therapies for serious diseases. There is a difference between maintaining health and treating a disease. We face this issue every day about diabetes- patients give up medication, opt for “herbal” alternative medicines, and come back with sugar levels going through the roof,” Dr Mithal said.
He added it was not about one “pathy” vs another. “It’s about science and evidence obtained via double-blind randomised clinical trials,” he added.
I am quite disappointed that our Chief Justice spoke about using #Ayush / #ayurvedicmedicine during #COVID-19.
We should realize that there is NO scientific evidence of any ayurvedic drug being effective against the coronavirus. In fact, the evidence for ANY drug (from any…— Dr Ambrish Mithal (@DrAmbrishMithal) February 22, 2024
Another doctor said the condition of health professionals during the Covid period was worse.
“Prolong Covid duties, all leaves were cancelled. We were forced to live away from our homes for months,” he responded to the chief justice’s statement.
Family members of several doctors died after contracting the virus from the health professionals. “Many doctors were admitted (to hospitals) because there was practically no equipment to wear and treat patients initially. No reward was given to any doctor who died in the line of duty.”
“Many people respected doctors for at least a short period for risking their lives and taking up Covid duties. Final-year medicine residents were deployed to tackle the situation. But despite increasing medical facilities, and strengthening PHC and CHC people are busy promoting Ayurveda. Amazing,” he exclaimed.
Condition of average resident of hospitals-
1.Prolong covid duties
2.All leaves were cancelled
3.We are forced to live outside our houses for months away
4.Many doctor families died due to contamination with serving doctor
5.Many doctors admitted because there were practically… https://t.co/os946Z711d— The mood doctor (@Chulbulpanda420) February 23, 2024
Dr Dheeraj K, a psychiatrist compared Ayurveda with a Khap panchayat. “This is the equivalent of opening of Khap panchayats and Sharia court alternatives to official judicial system,” he said on X.
This is the equivalent of opening of Khap panchayats and Sharia court alternatives to official judicial system. https://t.co/4aR4VxHQvi
— Dr. Dheeraj K, MD, DM, 🇮🇳 (@askdheeraj) February 22, 2024
While an oncologist Dr Muhammed Hussain pointed out that “The biggest present threat for cancer patients in India is not the cancer itself but the pseudoscientific practices like Ayurveda that delay them to attain proper medical help early. Stage-2 cancer which can be cured becomes Stage-4 thanks to the delay in treatment,” he lamented.
The biggest present threat for a cancer patients in India is not the cancer itself but the pseudoscientific practises like Ayurveda that delay them to attain proper medical help early. Stage 2 cancer which can be cured becomes Stage 4 thanks to the delay in treatment. https://t.co/ieGWaAlcu9
— The Cancer Doctor (@DoctorHussain96) February 22, 2024
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