Speaker Rebecca Kadaga has come out to defend herself on her promise about the production of a spray that can kill Corona Virus saying; “I do not deal with quacks.”
Kadaga has been under scrutiny from the top members of the Uganda Medical Association and the general public at large following a statement she issued on Monday saying that Uganda would start producing the cure for Corona Virus in two weeks’ time.
In her statement, she mentioned a Prof, Niaz Sarfaraz who she said had discovered the cure and would produce it from Dei Technologies, a Uganda based company.
“I’ve told Parliament that a spray, which instantly kills the Corona virus, has been discovered and is to be co-produced in Uganda. It goes on the market next week. The American inventor, Prof. Safraz K. Niaz, was here at the weekend and donated the patent, free of charge to Uganda,” Kadaga wrote on her Twitter timeline.
“Prof. Sarfaraz, an advisor to the US Congress and government has teamed up with a Ugandan biochemist, Mathias Magoola, to produce the product at DEI Group, in Luzira, Kampala. It will be the first product that instantly kills the Corona virus,” she added.
But in a statement released on Tuesday March 17th, the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) said this was a hoax before referring to biochemist Mathias Magoola as a quack.
“SARS-Cov 2 Corona Virus (the virus that causes COVID19) is a new strain of Corona viruses which was discovered three months ago. To date, there is no single medicine that can cure this disease or a vaccine that can prevent it as much as many are being tested,” UMA said in a statement.
“We express particular displeasure about the quack cadre scientists who desire to misinform the leadership of our country.”
While addressing the House on Tuesday afternoon, Kadaga said; “contrary to social media insults and claims by Uganda Medical Association leaders, I do not deal with quacks.”
“I’ve also taken issue with their (UMA) resort to addressing a press conference instead of having the courtesy to come and share their concerns with me. Matthias Magoola, who is also being derided, is also not a quack.”
“I’ve had laid on table 5 technical books written by Prof Sarfraz who is being insulted. He was the brainchild behind ‘Obama Care’.”
“My interest is local capacity to produce our own drugs instead of endless importation. The local biochemist, Matthias Magoola, is not a quack.”
