The Ministry of Ayush has issued an official memorandum raising a complaint against Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, known online as “The Liver Doc”, for alleged ‘derogatory and defamatory comments’ against the Ayush system of medicine on social media.In the memo dated Friday, the ministry said it had received multiple complaints that Dr Philips was calling Ayurveda a “pseudoscience” and making remarks that were defamatory towards Ayush systems of medicine.It also stated that an earlier communication had been sent to the National Medical Commission (NMC), the National Commission for Indian System of Medicine (NCISM), and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, asking for action. The ministry said no response had been received.The letter further said, “Since this is a matter of serious concern, you are requested to examine the matter expeditiously and take appropriate action against the above said practitioner under intimation to this ministry.”Following the notice, Dr Cyriac Abby Philips reacted on social media, saying a government ministry was acting against him for speaking on scientific issues. Referring to the memorandum, he added, “This was an official memo released during the Ministry of Ayush meeting… fully dedicated towards shutting down my social media presence.” Dr Philips also said, “Imagine – the people in this meeting were eating biscuits and drinking tea, paid for by the citizens of the country – to decide how to gag and shutdown a citizen doctor who educates people on medical science via social media.” He also mentioned that his Instagram account had recently faced a brief security issue, but said he regained control within an hour. Citing constitutional provisions, he wrote, “The Article 51A(h) of the Indian Constitution outlines the fundamental duty of every citizen to develop a ‘scientific temper, humanism, and the spirit of inquiry and reform’.” He further added, “The Ayush system is not scientific… it kills scientific temper, it does not promote the spirit of inquiry, it lacks logical reasoning.” “The only thing that needs to be shut down, is an unscientific body like Ayush… and not me,” he added.
