3-year-old AIDS patient, Suleiman is the not the only victim of medicaster, which unfortunately is none other but the president of Gambia itself. A few months back President Yahya Jammeh’s announcement, stating that he has found an anti-AIDS concoction, incurred worldwide criticism. However, president turned a deaf ear to these criticisms and adamantly went on prescribing his so-called anti-AIDS concoction, which he still believes to be the most effective drug in fight against HIV/AIDS. In his words:
My ancestors told me about this remedy in my dream.
Another interesting facet of the whole issue is the laudation of this so-called drug by the AIDS patients. In their words, this drug is quite effective against AIDS. Following are some of the remarks in favor of this drug by some AIDS patients:-
• It’s amazing. Two weeks ago, I was very ill, weak and couldn’t eat without vomiting.
Fatuma (an AIDS patient)
• It feels as if the president took the pain out of my body.
Mr. Ousman Sowe, 54
(An AIDS patient)
• My appetite has come back and I have gained weight.
Lamin Ceesay
(Also an AIDS patient)
Now the questions arise:-
• Are these patients saying true?
• Is it merely their assumption that they are better now?
• Is it president’s fear that is goading them to say so?
Or
What?
This is quite an irony that even in the 21st century; countries like Gambia are not ready to come out from the sprawl of hackneyed superstitions, which have done nothing good but just bad for such countries. Here is it is worth mentioning that renowned global organization called, WHO had also criticized Gambian president Yahya Jammeh for giving way to such a quackery, which so far has not been able to show the way it works.
Actually, this whole controversy has turned out be a muddle. The more we try to unriddle it the more intricate it becomes and in this intricate and labyrinthine situation it has become quite difficult to grope out the truth-the intact truth. Therefore, the best way that remains to churn out the truth is scientific research by the experts because it will rub out the intact truth, brushing aside all the misperceptions and myths. In case, study proves efficacy of this so-called drug against HIV/AIDS then there would be nothing wrong in prescribing it to HIV-infected patients. On the other end, if scientific study dubs this so-called drug phony then I think it would pave way for the health experts to condemn this move of the Gambian president more effectively.
Via:CNN
