‘Ramdev’s institute won’t get Covid centre for clinical trial’: Madhya Pradesh health dept - Hindustan Times
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‘Ramdev’s institute won’t get Covid centre for clinical trial’: Madhya Pradesh health dept

Hindustan Times, Bhopal | ByRanjan | Edited by Sparshita Saxena
Oct 20, 2020 10:39 PM IST

The order, issued on October 16 and made public on Tuesday by the directorate of health, imposed a ban on Ayurvedic drugs trial.

Madhya Pradesh health department has directed the district health offices not to allow Ayurvedic drug for Covid-19 patients ‘in view of the absence of any fact on inter-related effect and side-effects of Ayurvedic and allopathic medicines on such patients” without its approval.

File photo: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev.(Ramesh Pathania/Mint)
File photo: Yoga guru Baba Ramdev.(Ramesh Pathania/Mint)

AYUSH department of Madhya Pradesh has been conducting a trial on Covid-19 patients at Ayurveda medical college in Bhopal and various district hospitals for several months, as per the department.

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The first casualty of the order, issued on October 16 and made public on Tuesday by the directorate of health, imposing a ban on Ayurvedic drugs trial, was Swami Ramdev’s Haridwar based Patanjali Research Foundation Trust. The institute was making efforts to conduct such a trial in Madhya Pradesh. The Trust has not been able to get any hospital in the state to conduct a trial on Covid-19 patients through its institute even after four months of having got the permission from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government.

The health directorate initiated a process to allot just one centre to the Trust in the state for the trial and instructed chief medical and health officer (CMHO) in Indore Dr Praveen Jadia on October 3, 2020, to allot a Covid Care Centre in Indore to the Trust for the trial.

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“I have received the order from the directorate of health regarding the ban. We have not allotted any Covid Care Centre to Patanjali Research Institute so far. In light of the latest order from the directorate, we will now not allot any centre to the institute”, said chief medical and health officer (CMHO), Indore, Dr Praveen Jadia.

The order issued by additional director (Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme) Dr Veena Sinha states, “Trial of Ayurvedic medicines on hospitalised Covid-19 patients not TO BE conducted in view of non-availability of any fact regarding inter-related effect/side-effect of Ayurvedic and Allopathy medicines.”

The order, based on the state technical advisory committee’s recommendations that came during its October 7, 2020 meeting, was issued to all the district collectors, chief medical and health officers across districts, civil surgeons at all the district hospitals and deans of all the medical colleges in the state.

Deputy director, department of AYUSH (Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homeopathy), Dr PC Sharma said, “We are yet to receive the order. However, we are a conducting clinical trial at Pt. Khushilal Sharma Government (Autonomous) Ayurveda College & Institute, Bhopal and government allopathy district hospitals in at least 31 districts of the total 52 districts.”

Vice-president, Patanjali Research Institute, Haridwar, Dr Anurag Varshney said, “We are not aware of this particular order. However, no Covid Care Centre has been allotted to us till now. We have been told the process is going on.”

When contacted, additional director (Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme) Dr Veena Sinha said, “The order was based on the recommendations by the state technical advisory committee but it was meant for ensuring that any permission for any such drug trial is not granted at the district level. We will clarify if there is any confusion in any district due to want of an elaborate order in this regard.”

However, a health official who didn’t want to be named said, “The health department authorities would have to issue an amended order if Patanjali Research Institute has to be allowed a clinical trial in the state if the government really wishes so. For any individual or organisation can challenge the government’s decision in the court of law in view of the latest order if the government and the institute go ahead with the clinical trial.”

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