KAMPALA — Dr Richard Idro President, Uganda Medical Association (UMA) has slammed Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga for announcing a ‘fake’ coronavirus treatment vaccine on the Floor of Parliament.
Amongst other things, Kadaga while chairing a Parliament sitting on Monday March 16 said: “A Professor who manufactured a treatment for corona virus in the US was here last week and he has donated the patent to Uganda and within a fortnight, the treatment will be made here….. It will be made by a Company called Dei International. …..There is hope and the treatment will start here in Uganda.”
Dr. Idro said that to date, there is no single medicine that can cure this disease or a vaccine that can prevent it, much as many are being tested.
“Any unevidenced claim of a treatment or cure without due scientific evidence and corroboration by a competent institution mandated to regulate medicines is not only incorrect, gives false hope but may also be dangerous” he said.
Dr. Idro in a statement dated Tuesday, March 17 added that Speaker’s revelation instead diverts the population from known and effective preventive messages.
He expressed displeasure about the quack cadre scientists whose desire he said is to misinform the leadership of Uganda.
“From what we understand, whatever was purported as a treatment, cure or vaccine is actually a disinfectant meant for external body use.
He wondered why would the USA give the patent of a potential cure to country with not a single case when it has several
thousand cases.
It is a standard procedure for any medicine to be deployed in Uganda, to first undergone rigorous testing for safety and efficacy by highly trained persons.
In Uganda, the only competent authority that can give permission for the entry and use of medicines in the country or oversee the testing of any medicine is the National Drug Authority.
But, Dr. Idro said not any such testing, scrutiny or oversight of the medicine the speaker talked about has been undertaken by the NDA.
“We reiterate that there is currently no medicine to cure corona virus 19
disease. Also, there is no vaccine but intensive research is being conducted to develop appropriate drugs and vaccines.”
