The South African Medical Association (Sama) has called for an investigation into the release — by Director General of Health Thami Mseleku — of a consignment of anti-Aids food supplements from the Dr Rath Health Foundation.
This follows a Mail & Guardian report on Friday that the consignment of food supplements allegedly contained a scheduled substance.
Rath advocates the use of natural remedies to control HIV/Aids and has been accused of making people suspicious of anti-retrovirals and allegedly encouraging people to switch to his treatment recommendations.
“It has been reported that these imported compounds contained scheduled substances, and Port Health authorities, acting within their statutory obligations, were reluctant to release these compounds into the country,” a Sama statement read.
Port Health is a subdirectorate of the health department.
“It is alleged that the director general directly facilitated the entry of these compounds into the country in direct violation of existing laws and regulations,” the statement continued.
Sama said Peter Eagles, the chairperson of the Medicines Control Council, confirmed these allegations.
“Laws and regulations governing medicines are there for the sole purpose of protecting the public from unscrupulous merchants of untested and potentially harmful substances. Mseleku and the health ministry have the stewardship of this responsibility and of concern is that this position has been violated.”
Sama also believes that the public’s trust in the system ensuring medicine safety has been compromised. It called for an investigation into Mseleku and Minister of Health Manto Tshabalala-Msimang.
Port Health is tasked with vetting medicine coming into South Africa.
The M&G reported that Port Health would not release a consignment of two pallets comprising about 5 000 bottles of tablets from Rath described as a “food supplement” because it did not comply with certain regulations.
A Port Health official who wanted to remain anonymous told the M&G: “We stopped the pills because [the consignment] was non-compliant with certain regulations. But then we were told to release the substance by the department.”
Port Health withheld the tablets because the Rath Foundation imported them as a “food supplement” while they contain a schedule-two substance, N-acetylcysteine; because Rath did not have the right import permit; and because there was no pharmacist or doctor to receive the consignment.
Unlike food supplements, scheduled substances need to be registered with the Medicines Control Council (MCC) and can only be dispensed by a doctor or a pharmacist. Rath’s tablets are not registered with the MCC, the officials told the M&G. N-acetylcysteine breaks down phlegm in the lungs and in large doses is used to fight paracetamol poisoning.
Department of Health spokesperson Sibani Mngadi told the M&G that the consignment was released on the department’s instruction after legal correspondence was received from the Dr Rath Health Foundation, requesting it to be released under the care of a pharmacist. Mngadi did not confirm Mseleku’s personal role.
The consignment was released into the care of a Dr Rath Health Foundation pharmacist, it was reported.
Suspension
Meanwhile, the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) on Monday called for the immediate suspension of Mseleku.
It said it is unacceptable for the director general of health to assist a “known charlatan who claims his medicines can treat Aids and who is endangering public health”, adding that Mseleku appears to have exceeded his authority and broken the law by stopping Port Health officials from carrying out their duty.
“Since the Aids epidemic began, people with HIV/AIDS have been vulnerable to unscrupulous activities aimed at exploiting them. Mr Mseleku’s actions make it easier for these unscrupulous activities to continue unabated. It begs the question as to whether government has a real commitment to ending discrimination against people with HIV and protecting our health,” the TAC said in a statement.
It said the M&G‘s report came on the back of the admission of the head of the Medical Research Council (MRC), Dr Anthony Mbewu, that the MRC received R200 000 from Rath and kept approximately R60 000 of this money, which was used to organise workshops for Rath.
“We call for Mr Mseleku to be suspended immediately and the National Prosecuting Authority to investigate his actions,” the TAC said.