Uttam picks holes in AYUSH approach towards Covid-19

New Delhi/Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president and Nalgonda MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday has exposed the flaws in the approach adopted by Union Ministry for AYUSH towards coronavirus.

Raising the issue during Question Hour in Lok Sabha, Uttam Kumar Reddy pointed out that the AYUSH Ministry has issued an advisory wherein it prescribed some medicines for treatment of coronavirus.

"When the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Prime Minister Narendra Modi last night said there is no preventive medicine, there is no vaccine or medicine, how come the Ministry of AYUSH has issued an advisory to the States that XYZ medicine will prevent coronavirus. This is in contradiction to the advice given by the Union Ministry for Health," he said.

Uttam Kumar Reddy said based on the advisory note given by AYUSH Ministry, the government of Telangana has set up stalls distributing those medicines, including at the airport.

"Approximately 10-15 crore people believe in AYUSH. In a disease like coronavirus, where there is no scientific evidence and no clinical trials, how has the Ministry of AYUSH specifically recommended some medicines?

Without proper scientific evidence or clinical trials, was it proper for AYUSH to issue this advisory note?" he asked.

Speaking about 'disinformation' and 'misinformation' in the media, Uttam Kumar Reddy said a number of persons, particularly of the ruling BJP, have been giving statements like cow urine and cow dung is useful in treating coronavirus.

Some Yoga gurus are also prescribing some herbs. He said this 'misinformation' and 'disinformation' has not been contradicted by anybody in the government.

Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik, in his reply, clarified that the medicines were prescribed based on previous experiences and they could only boost respiratory system and increase immunity. "We did not call them medicines for coronavirus," he clarified.