MYSURU: Modern science and inexperienced doctors are to blame for the increase in diseases and health issues, said B M Hegde, president of
Indian Academy of Social Sciences
(IASS).
Delivering the presidential address at the five-day XL Indian Social Science Congress that began at
Senate Bhavan in University of Mysore
here on Monday, the Padma Bhushan awardee said: “The index of quality life is high where there are less doctors, and vice versa holds good too. People are made patients on the pretext of curing their diseases with modern medicine, which indirectly puts their health to risk. Science has been reduced to a mere moneymaking business... Science is systematically being used politically to spread lies — 75% of the causes for cancer is consumption of alcohol and tobacco, and nobody wants to stop it as it is a profitable industry.”
Explaining how medical interventions are affecting the natural system of human bodies, Hegde pointed that human bodies have evolved to cure diseases on their own. “They can turn the stored sodium into potassium in case of deficiency. But visits to money-minded doctors prove risky, as everything gets ruined by their intervention,” Hegde added.
Over 90% of people who were treated at intensive care units (ICUs) have not survived, he claimed, citing the example of former Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa, and the multi-crore expenditure her treatment incurred. “Most of the patients do not survive even after being treated in ICUs. But it is a big money spinner. According to an audit in America, 90% of the profits in American hospitals come from ICU admissions. It is even worse in India — 98%. Also, 98% of people do not survive despite treatment in ICU...” Hegde claimed.
Ruing the lack of quality research, he said: “I feel sorry for the condition of science. The concept of education has been totally misunderstood, and is controlled by the state. This is curbing the curiosity of students, leaving no room for innovations. Nowadays, there is no quality research. One can see repetitive researches with no substantial outcome.”
Hegde said that coconut oil is as beneficial as mother’s milk, and has got many advantages. “If a doctor says that coconut oil has cholesterol, it means he has not gone to medical schools. It is used for treating Alzheimer’s and skin diseases. Even the Americans, who had carried out a propaganda against coconut oil, have accepted its benefits,” Hegde claimed.
Richard Smith, former editor of ‘
British Medical Journal
’, expressed concerns over the preference given to research over teaching. He said: “Researches, teaching and scholarship are the crucial functions of universities. But it is disappointing that teaching has taken the second place, next to research. Teaching is important compared to all.” He also highlighted the need for equal importance to fields such as humanity, social science, modern and ancient philosophy.
IASS and UoM are jointly organizing the Congress themed on ‘People’s health and quality of life in India’.