Nigerian doctors’ guild decries Dr Stella Immanuel’s claim of Covid-19 cure

US doctor Stella Immanuel. Picture: Facebook

US doctor Stella Immanuel. Picture: Facebook

Published Jul 29, 2020

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By Siphumelele Khumalo

Johannesburg - The Guild of Medical Directors (GMD) in Nigeria has said claims made by US doctor Stella Immanuel on using a combination of hydroxychloroquine, zinc and Zithromax to cure Covid-19 are baseless and should only be taken as her unsubstantiated opinion.

According to This Day, in a viral clip of the press conference that Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are removing, Immanuel, who practices at a hospital in Houston, Texas, claimed she had cured over 350 coronavirus patients using her drug regime. She also claimed the drug regime could be used to prevent the virus.

“Hello Facebook put back my profile page and videos up or your computers will start crashing till you do. You are not bigger than God. I promise you. If my page is not back up, Facebook will be down in Jesus' name,” Immanuel threatened on Twitter.

Professor Olufemi Emmanuel Babalola, president of the GMD in Nigeria, advised against the politicisation of the outbreak of the virus and urged the world to stay safe.

“As we speak, a study is under way in Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) on its (hydroxychloroquine's) efficacy and safety. Subsequently, a meta-analysis of all these studies should be undertaken to pool all the results and come up with a summative analysis which will guide clinicians," he said.

He added that the world was still actively looking for an effective treatment and vaccine for the virus and until then, everyone had a responsibility to remain safe and protect one another through the ways proven to help.

The GMD is a body of owners of private hospitals in Nigeria and is collectively responsible for the management of about 70% of the health-care needs of Nigerians, according to Babalola.

In its latest update, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported 41 804 cases of Covid-19. The West African country has recorded 868 coronavirus-related deaths and 18 764 recoveries.

African News Agency /ANA

Related Topics:

United StatesCovid-19