Reknowned writer Munini Mulera has scoffed at Speaker of Parliament’s Coronavirus curing project, arguing that Sarfaraz K. Niazi, an American scientist ready to save Uganda is a quack.
On Monday, Rebecca Kadaga told legislators and Ugandans that the country, would, in conjunction with Prof. Niazi, and a Ugandan biochemist, Mathias Magoola start co-producing a coronavirus spray in two weeks time.
Prof. Niazi, who then met President Museveni reportedly, donated the patent to Uganda.
During the visit to State House, Niazi – whose business card carries other titles such as rationalist, teacher, investor, author, blogger, seer, beverage crafter, patent agent, speaker, radio host, poet, photographer, entrepreneur, philosopher and musician – claimed that the Coronusvirus killing spray will also cure ‘all bacteria’ instantly.
This was instantly dismissed by medical practitioners under their umbrella body, the Uganda Medical Association (UMA)
In a statement jointly signed by UMA president Dr Richard Idro, general secretary Dr Muhereza Mukuzi and Dr Misaki Wanyengera, a senior scientist and senior lecturer at Makerere University, UMA noted that the SARS-COV-2 coronavirus, which causes COVID-19 is a new strain of coronaviruses that was discovered to cause human disease less than three months ago and hence has no known cure yet.
They also noted that the purported sanitizer hadn’t been approved by the National Drug Authority (NDA), which is legally mandated to do so.
Now Mulera, a Paediatrician/Neonatologist based in Toronto, Canada has voiced his concerns saying ‘there is no need to investigate the credentials of any doctor who thinks that bacteria are viruses.’
It is a tragedy that our country is run in a haphazard manner like this. Why Is the President (A political Scientist) and the Speaker of Parliament (a lawyer) discussing a ‘cutting edge’ medicinal product without real experts standing next to them? Do these people care about science? Do they care about evidence?
How does the President endorse a product without due diligence? May we please see the published research in peer-reviewed journals?
My heart bleeds. Uganda, the land that produced, in no particular order, Dr Geofrey Mukasa (A real expert in infectious diseases) Dr Nandi Kanyerezi (a distinguished expert in internal medicine) Dr Vinand Nantulya (a distinguished pathologist) Dr Sabrina Kitaka (a distinguished paediatrician) Dr Peter N. Mugenyi (another distinguished paediatrician and expert in HIV/Aids) and so many others that are just a call away. All the above and hundreds more, with the exception of Dr Mukwaya, are in Uganda.
Come to think of it, I now feel sorry for Mr Museveni. There must be an explanation why he did not even bother to call the Minister of Health and the PS of Health to save him from this embarrassment. I honestly feel sick. Let’s make a deal, Mr President: We’ll leave the things of Generals to the Generals. Kindly leave science to scientists.
PS: Bacteria are not viruses. The differences fill chapters of standard text books.
Kadaga had earlier accused the doctors from UMA of having no brains for calling Prof Niazi ‘a quack doctor’ and questioning his spray.
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