Nigeria’s Guild of Medical
Directors (GMD) has reacted to video claims by Dr Stella Immanuel, that a combo
of hydroxychloroquine, zinc and Zithromax cures COVID-19.
President of GMD, Prof. Olufemi
Babalola in Abuja on Tuesday, said Immanuel’s claim is her opinion and is not
substantiated by science.
“There is no scientific evidence
to prove the claim,” Babalola said.
Immanuel went viral on social
media on Tuesday, with the claim that she has treated over 350 patients of
COVID-19 with the combo.
Born as a Cameroonian, Immanuel
was trained as a doctor at the University of Calabar, in South-South Nigeria.
She graduated in 1990.
She has been living in the U.S.
practising as a paediatrician.
She also runs a pentecostal Fire
Power Deliverance Ministry in Texas.
She surfaced in Washington D.C on
Monday, at a news conference held by a group of American doctors under the
aegis of “America’s Frontline Doctors”, in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
She made what has been described
as a bogus claim about the efficacy of the antimalarial drug —
hydroxychloroquine, zinc and antibacterial drug — Zithromax, as cures for the
coronavirus disease.
The doctors held a two-day “White
Coat Summit” at the Capitol Hill to address what they call “massive
disinformation campaign” surrounding the virus.
Immanuel, who was joined by other
frontline doctors, said she had treated no fewer than 350 patients with
hydroxychloroquine, zinc, and Zithromax.
However, the GMD president stated
that research on the efficacy of the combination of Hydrochloroquine (HCQ),
Zinc and Zithromax to treat COVID-19 has not been concluded.
“We have watched with dismay the
viral video of Dr Stella Immanuel, a doctor in the United States of America.
“The video has been shared all
over the country and led to many people justifiably asking the question, ‘What
do you think, doctor?.
“The video was part of a news
conference held in America.”
Babalola stated that the group
was founded by Dr Simone Gold, a board-certified physician and attorney, made
up of medical doctors who came together to address what the group termed
“massive disinformation campaign” about the coronavirus.
The guild president noted that
while some studies suggested that it was effective, others felt otherwise.
“It is true that Senegal, where
HCQ is routinely used, has one of the lowest COVID-19 case fatality rates in
the world at 0.64 per cent compared to 3.4 per cent in the U.S.
“As we speak, a study is underway
at Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on its efficacy and safety.
Subsequently, a meta-analysis of all these studies should be undertaken to pool
all the results and come up with analysis which will guide clinicians.
“So, until then, all anecdotal
claims such as the one from Dr Stella Immanuel must be taken with a pinch of
salt.”
Babalola stated that HCQ may be a
cause of serious complications and even death in some people.
He said anecdotal claims such as
the herbal mixture from Madagascar had subsequently been proven ineffective.
He stated that the Guild of
Medical Directors is a body of owners of private hospitals in Nigeria “and
collectively, we are responsible for the management of about 70 per cent of the
healthcare needs of Nigerians.
“So, a lot of the burden in
explaining the problem as related to the video naturally falls on us.
Therefore, we feel it is pertinent to explain or clarify the issues for
Nigerians.
“We must reiterate that
Coronavirus is real and COVID-19 is an indiscriminate killer.
“We know from personal experience
since it has killed many doctors and nurses all over the country, including our
very own Prof. Lovett Lawson.The disease is definitely not a joke.”
Babalola therefore condemned the
politicisation of the pandemic, noting that the whole world was actively
looking for an effective treatment and vaccine for the disease.
“So, until then, everyone has a
responsibility to remain safe and protect one another through the proven ways.
“These are — social distancing,
wearing of face mask and frequent hand washing and respiratory hygiene.”
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