Syrup soured!

By Dr Upul Wijayawardhana

It is not often that Sri Lanka hits the headlines in world media websites for the wrong reason; it did so on 23rd January: the fourth, out of the 10 most read news items, on BBC News website read “Sri Lanka Minister who promoted ‘Covid syrup’ tests positive”. It went on to state: “Sri Lanka’s Health Minister, who endorsed herbal syrup to prevent Covid, has tested positive for the virus.

Pavithra Wanniarachchi tested positive on Friday, a media secretary at the Ministry of Health told the BBC. She had promoted the syrup, manufactured by a shaman who claimed it worked as a life-long inoculation against the virus.”

In all fairness, the news item added: “Sri Lanka isn’t the only place where people in positions of power have promoted unproven treatments for Covid. Last year, Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina was criticised for promoting a herbal concoction that he claimed could prevent the virus.”

Thanks BBC! That addition lessened our embarrassment and saved us from being branded as having idiotic politicians as our preserve!

Anyway, the syrup has soured! Though one would have expected banner-headlines on this turn of events, interestingly, in the Sinhala newspapers there was hardly a mention except for references in some of the cartoons. Maybe, they feel guilty as most of them aided the promotional campaign of Pohottuwa politicians for ‘Dhammika Peniya’.

Whilst wishing the Minister a speedy recovery, may I be allowed to remind her that the first act on her return to work should be submitting her resignation to avoid further embarrassment to the Pohottuwa regime. She owes this to here voters. Though a number of others connected to the regime demonstrated stupidity by choosing superstition over science at the time of a grave health emergency, surely, she must take the responsibility as the subject minister!

Drinking the syrup, an unapproved and untested medication concocted by a person with no medical qualifications, in her office, helped a kapuwa to market his product and apparently amassed quite a bit of wealth at the expense of health. The Speaker of Parliament also committed the same blunder but he may say that he acquired the claimed immunity as he is still Covid-free, in spite of a number of his colleagues and workers testing positive! Fire-brand socialist Vasu declared that he got the formula and was making it himself but was the first MP to get Covid. Of course, the kapuwa can claim that Vasu’s method of production fell far below the divine standards of his manufacture!

Even if the Minister of Health can plead to a degree of ignorance, the State Minister, who is a Professor of Pharmacology, has no excuses. Sorry, according to his buddy, another professor, he is behaving as a politician, not a Pharmacologist! What about the Minister who supplied machinery for the production of the ineffective syrup at the expense of the tax payer? Nearly forgot the Ambassador, once the head of a science faculty but now supporting supernatural products. He lamented that he could not get the Peniya across to where he dispenses diplomacy due to import regulations. Perhaps, it is best to recall him so that he could drench himself in the Peniya, which no one would want now!

To put it mildly, this fiasco has done significant reputational damage to the government more than to the producer of the Peniya for whom things seem have got soured for more reasons than one. Apparently, he is being investigated for an assault on a dental surgeon. Head of their union was threatening action as they were of the opinion that the police are dragging their feet Maybe, the police received free supplies of the syrup! Anyway, why a dental surgeon, who should have a fundamental knowledge of virus behaviour, should go to buy the Peniya and get involved in a fracas is a matter for serious concern. The craving for supernatural cures seems far wide spread than one would like to and has affected the intelligentsia as well!

Perhaps, Kali Amma is playing tricks on us. After all, she is an Indian Goddess and it is no secret that Indians do not seem to be too well disposed towards us at the moment. Failing all other excuses, the kapuwa may say that she must have done all this on purpose! Well, we should have known. Afterall, she is not a forgiving goddess!

Syrup has soured and the government has suffered. To save the reputation of the government, the President needs to take urgent action. If the Minister of Health does not resign, she should be removed for unethical behaviour and I greatly doubt anyone would miss her. As the Peniya is obviously ineffective all further testing should stop. The totally uncalled-for testing has already wasted the valuable time of clinicians who should devote their energies in treating patients as well as getting the epidemic under control.

What a mess we have got into by discarding science!