Patanjali Research Institute, run by Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, on Thursday filed an intervention petition in the Delhi High Court, backing a PIL filed by BJP leader Ashwini Upadhyay for integration of Allopathy, Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani and other forms of medicine systems and a common syllabus for all medical colleges.
Appearing for Patanjali, Senior Advocate Inderbir Singh Alag and Advocates Simranjeet Singh and Rhea Dube of Athena Legal said that they have filed an intervention application in support of the prayers made in the plea.
Appearing before the Bench of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Subramonium Prasad, Upadhyay pointed out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his address on August 15, 2022, had spoken about the adoption of holistic approach in medicine.
He contended that the holistic approach in medicine will change the entire health care system.
“We don’t need medicines all the time, some pressing and yoga can do wonders for our health,” added the BJP leader.
The Bench said, “Yes, You’re right! It’s not Adversarial. What do you want to say? Mr Rajesh Agnihotri (Counsel for respondent no: 2) Have you filed any reply?”
The Counsel then replied, “We have filed a reply already. We have sent the same to Sir, by notice.”
The High Court then noted that the impleadment application was not on record and asked the Counsels representing Patanjali to place the same within one week.
Central Government Standing Counsel (CGSC) Kirtiman Singh said that the Union government has filed its response to the PIL.
However, the same could not be found.
The Bench then directed the CGSC to place its response before the Court within two weeks and fixed November 11 as the next date of hearing.
Upadhyay has sought adoption of an Indian holistic integrated medicinal approach, rather than the colonial segregated one, by way of his petition. He said that this would help in securing the right to health guaranteed under the Constitution.
As per Upadhyay, around 70 percent of India’s population was living in rural areas, but 52 percent of allopathic doctors were practicing in just five states – Maharashtra (15 percent), Tamil Nadu (12 percent), Karnataka (10 percent), Andhra Pradesh (eight percent) and Uttar Pradesh (seven percent).
Rural India remained deprived of medicinal benefits, a fact reflected in the highly skewed distribution of health workforce across States, noted the plea.
It said although doctors were confined to a few states, patients resided across India. This led to introduction of several health care mediators, who were ruining the integrity of the Indian health care system as they tend to fetch more money from patients in the name of providing better treatment.
The petition termed this situation as being highly ‘unethical and illegal,’ since it deprived the diseased individuals from attaining health benefits due to their inability to pay high health expenses.
The plea further said that deaths due to prescription drug overdose between 2006 and 2014 rose by 123 percent globally, while serious but non-fatal prescription drug overdose outcomes also increased during the period.
The petition pointed out that the misuse and overuse of antibiotics was costing the health systems around USD 54 billion per year globally, which roughly came to 0.9 percent of the world’s expenditure on healthcare.
It added that several ‘so-called’ revolutionary medical innovations have, in the longer run, caused severe and long term side-effects. The Centre was, however, still not introducing the Holistic Integrated Healthcare System, contended the petition.
Case title: Ashwini Upadhyay vs Union of India & Ors