Yoga guru Ramdev, who had earlier said he does not need the COVID-19 vaccine as he has protection of yoga and ayurveda, on Thursday did a U-turn, saying he will soon get the jab and described doctors as "god's envoys on earth". Ramdev had earlier stirred a controversy with his comments on the efficacy of allopathic drugs against COVID-19, drawing the ire of the medical fraternity. Now, welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi's announcement about free vaccines to all from June 21, Ramdev described it as a "historic" step and appealed to all to get themselves vaccinated.
"Get both doses of the vaccine and the double protection of yoga and ayurveda. They will combine to give you such a robust shield of protection that not a single person will die from COVID-19," he told reporters in Haridwar. Asked when he will get the vaccine shot, the yoga guru and businessman said, "Very soon." Ramdev also heaped praise on good allopathic doctors, describing them as "god's envoys on earth". On the ongoing confrontation with the Indian Medical Association (IMA), Ramdev said he doesn't have any animosity with any organisation. All he was against was the exploitation of people in the name of medicines, he claimed.
"I am not against any organisation. Good doctors are a real boon. They are god's envoys on earth. But individual doctors can do wrong things," he said.He also said for emergency treatment and surgery, allopathy is the best. "When it comes to emergency treatment and surgery, allopathy is the best. There cannot be two opinions about it," said Ramdev, who had caused so much anger among doctors by his recent remarks against general medicine.
Ramdev's comments calling allopathy a "stupid science" had triggered a row across the country with several doctors staging protests and even filing police complaints against him. Organisations including the Indian Medical Association (IMA) had also moved court against him. In a stinging attack on Ramdev, the IMA had earlier alleged that the yoga guru was creating a false sense of fear and frustration in the public at large so that he can sell his 'illegal' and 'unapproved' so-called medicines and make money at the cost of the people.
"In the past too, he (Ramdev) had uttered modern medical doctors as murderers in the presence of the Health Minister himself on the pretext of the release of his wonder drugs...Ramdev deserves to be prosecuted for disobeying and causing danger to the lives of many by making them believe not to take the advice of allopathy drugs. His quote about Favipiravir as medicine against fever/antipyretic is laughable and childish, and demonstrates his in-depth scientific knowledge," the IMA had said in a statement.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan had also urged Ramdev to withdraw his derogatory remarks.
With PTI and IANS inputs