The minister called on finding solutions to the pandemic rather than debating over the WHO’s remarks on chloroquine.
Rabat – Responding to the ongoing debate about the side effects of using chloroquine as a treatment for COVID-19 patients, Morocco’s Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb has declared that the drug helped in treating patients and prevented mass deaths.
The minister faced an overwhelming amount of criticism surrounding the use of chloroquine at the House of Representatives on Thursday, May 28, where he informed the representatives that chloroquine has been long used in the treatment of chronic diseases and malaria.
Ait Taleb added that the side effects of the drug were not considered until the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, pointing out that there have been no deaths related to the use of chloroquine as its usage is conditioned and recommended by the Scientific and Technical Committees (STCs).
Commenting on the remarks of the World Health Organization (WHO), Ait Taleb said that the WHO did not say to stop using chloroquine. It demanded, however, to halt trials on hydroxychloroquine as a COVID-19 treatment, he added.
The minister further stressed that the WHO does not have the right to order a suspension of the use of the drug. He said it is a scientific conviction of the doctor who is entrusted to make the decision to use it depending on the situation before them.
He went on to say that Morocco imported the raw material for the manufacture of chloroquine and also imported hydroxychloroquine from India to be at the disposal of patients.
In conclusion, Ait Taleb called on examining ways to cope with the pandemic instead of focusing on the WHO’s remarks, emphasizing that his department will prepare reports for the scientific committee regarding the use of chloroquine and its effectiveness.
