Why I Cannot Reveal The Drugs Being Used To Treat COVID-19 Patients — Health Minister

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has said that it will not be appropriate to reveal the drugs being used to treat Coronavirus patients in Nigeria as this will encourage some Nigerians to resort to self-treatment and possible overdose.

24 Coronavirus patients have been discharged so far from the Infectious Disease Hospital in Lagos.

Speaking at the daily briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 in Abuja on Friday April 3, Ehanire said

“The drug or drugs being used are matters of interest to doctors who are providing treatment. Doctors advise each other on which drugs they used and I believe as time goes on, they will compile a report on what worked and what didn’t work.

As I said earlier, the treatment centres in Lagos are using certain drugs for clinical trial and they will be able to add from their experience to the body of knowledge and what worked and what didn’t work. You may have also read that some people suffered from chloroquine poisoning in Lagos because they thought this was the best way to treat themselves.

“It is not for you to go and purchase and treat yourself. So, I won’t advise anyone looking for the name of the drug when you are not even sure you have that sickness,” Ehanire said.