• Healthcare

  When politics placed thousands at risk, how low will political parties sink

  Posted by Nigel Brown on 29 July 2020 at 9:50 pm

  In Bolivia, several lawmakers are fighting to recognize a toxic cleaning agent as a Covid-19 therapy, even as health officials warn it could be deadly.

  Chlorine dioxide is mostly used to disinfect drinking water supplies and has never been legitimately used or sold for use in or on the human body.

  The Bolivian Health Ministry stated it is not an effective coronavirus treatment, and has issued strong warnings against experimenting with it. On July 20, the ministry stated on social media that chlorine dioxide’s dangerous effects can include acute liver failure, life-threatening low blood pressure caused by dehydration, severe vomiting and respiratory failure.

  Those promoting its use include Cochabamba’s Mayor José María Leyes, who has tested positive for the virus, and lawmakers from the main opposition party.

  “I consider it necessary to try some other medicinal alternatives, such as chlorine dioxide,” Leyes said on July 10 on his official Twitter account. Despite the abundant warnings, he insists that chlorine dioxide is safe if taken with caution.

  Bolivia’s Health Ministry has threatened to prosecute those who promote the unscientific use of chlorine dioxide as a coronavirus treatment “with the full power of the law.” But so far, it hasn’t taken legal action against specific individuals or entities.

  On July 14, Bolivia’s Senate — controlled by the opposition Movement for Socialism party — passed a bill to approve the “supply and use of the chlorine dioxide solution for the prevention and treatment of coronavirus.”

  The proposed law would authorize public and private laboratories to produce the chlorine dioxide solution “for as long as there is a risk of contagion of the coronavirus,” and provincial and municipal governments should “guarantee the supply of the chlorine dioxide solution in the public health system,” the statement said. The law would also regulate the trade and production of the substance, as some people have been buying chlorine dioxide on the black market, the statement read.

  The opposition, which holds a majority in both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, is now pushing the bill for a vote in the Chamber. It is expected to pass there, too.

  “It would be an alternative for treatment,” said Sergio Choque, leader of the Chamber of Deputies and member of the Movement for Socialism. “A treatment, but medically prescribed.” However, the proposed bill says prescriptions aren’t necessary, but dosages should be indicated on each bottle.

  Ultimately, the bill has to be signed by the interim president to become law, and Áñez is likely to veto the law and stand by the guidance of the health ministry.

  But
  with elections scheduled for this year, and coronavirus infections and deaths
  quickly rising across the country, the pressure on Áñez and her cabinet to find
  new solutions to end the crisis is mounting. Movement for Socialism, which is
  loyal to ousted former leader Evo Morales, has fiercely criticized the Áñez
  government’s handling of the pandemic.

  The lives of thousands are at risk from the ideologies of men determined to grab power on the backs of sick and desperate people, it is sickening to see how low will some will sink in the quest for power!

  

  Nigel Brown replied 4 years, 2 months ago 1 Member · 0 Replies
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