HEALTH minister Obadiah Moyo yesterday said the country was carrying out a research on COVID-19 cure which includes herbal remedies.

By Veneranda Langa

Moyo made the remarks in Parliament when he appeared before the Doubt Ndiweni-led Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Health and Child Care.

“We have seen Madagascar coming up with their form of therapy and in Zimbabwe everything is being put on clinical trial and must be approved by the World Health Organisation to ensure that any claim to a cure is relevant and correct,” Moyo said.

Madagascar has come up with a drink, Covid-Organics, which authorities claim can cure COVID-19. The herbal remedy is made up of a herbal tonic, produced from the artemisia plant — the source of an ingredient which is used in a malaria treatment — and other plants from Madagascar.

The World Health Organisation has warned against using drugs or herbs that are not backed by scientific research.

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Moyo also said while most of the equipment and financial assistance came from development partners, Finance minister Mthuli Ncube had injected US$3 million to ensure there were no stock outs of personal protective equipment and other COVID-19 essentials.

“We have several Zimbabweans coming through with donations but the biggest donor is Sakunda Holdings. We have recorded everything and there is a lot of transparency and the money is deposited into a Finance ministry account,” Moyo said.

But civil society organisations have expressed concern over the COVID-19 allocations by Ncube without Parliament approval. Other Zimbabweans are also suspicious that individual nostro accounts might be raided for COVID-19 funding.

Zimbabwe has recorded 56 COVID-19 cases, including 27 recoveries and four deaths, while neighbouring South Africa, a hotspot in Africa, has over 23 615 confirmed cases, 11 917 recoveries and 481 deaths.
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