Fact Check: Did AYUSH Ministry Remove A 'Dr Mujahid Hussain' For Obstructing Approval For Patanjali's 'Coronil'?
Writer: Aditi Chattopadhyay
Aditi, part of the fact checking team of The Logical Indian likes to read, write, cook and laugh, in short live life as it is supposed to be. What makes her fascinated is to discover the truth behind a story and more often than not, it is either fact or myth at the end.
Uttarakhand, 26 Jun 2020 12:39 PM GMT | Updated 26 Jun 2020 1:05 PM GMT
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The Logical Indian Fact check team investigates the claim that AYUSH Ministry removed their official Dr Mujahid Hussain for hindering the approval of Patanjali's 'Coronil'.
Yoga Guru Baba Ramdev's Patanjali on June 23rd launched Corona kit with the medicines, "Coronil and Swasari", that claim 100 per cent favourable results during trials to treat COVID-19 patients.
Following the launch, the Indian Council Of Medical Research and AYUSH Ministry distanced themselves from Patanjali's 'Coronil Kit'.
AYUSH Ministry has asked the company to stop advertising the claim till the medicine is duly examined, and has requested the concerned State Licensing Authority of Uttarakhand to provide copies of license and product approval details of the medicines.
In light of this, a piece of news has been gaining momentum on social media which claims that "doctor Mujahid Hussain" has been fired from the AYUSH Ministry for halting the advertisement and sale of Coronil.
On WhatsApp, a screenshot of a tweet making the viral claims from a Twitter account @RealPushpendra impersonating journalist Pushpendra Kulshreshtha is being forwarded.
The Logical Indian received a request on the Fact Check number to verify the claim.
Claim:
AYUSH Ministry removed their officer Dr Mujahid Hussain for hindering the approval of Patanjali's 'Coronil'.
Fact Check:
The claim is false.
A keyword search using: Mujahid Hussain, AYUSH Ministry, Coronil, Patanjali, did not show any news reports which could legitimise the viral claims.
AYUSH Ministry Debunks Claim
The Ministry of AYUSH shared a screenshot of the tweet by the fraud account on Twitter and said that the ministry has "not removed any doctor or medical officer from duty or service at any time in the recent past."
It is clarified that the @moayush has not removed any doctor or medical officer from duty or service at any time in the recent past. pic.twitter.com/Tr8KoQpsY9
— Ministry of AYUSH🇮🇳 #MyLifeMyYoga (@moayush) June 25, 2020
Latest Update On Patanjali's 'Coronil'
Patanjali Ayurved CEO Acharya Balkrishna on Thursday, June 25, said the company has not done anything wrong while getting the licence for its claimed medicine to treat COVID-19.
"We've followed all procedures to manufacture the medicine (Coronil). We applied for the licence based on classical evidence of the compounds used in the medicine. We worked on the compounds and put out the results of the clinical trial before people," Balkrishna said.
"We have not done anything wrong while obtaining the licence. We did not advertise Coronil, we just tried to tell people about the effects of the medicine," said Balkrishna.
As Patanjali Ayurved's claimed COVID-19 cure comes under the scanner of the government, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Thursday said that legal action will be initiated against Patanjali if there was an advertisement, endorsement or sale of its newly-launched COVID-19 drugs 'Coronil and Swasari' in the state before it gets an approval from the AYUSH Ministry.
Read more on the latest development here.
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