The Gambian President Alhaji Dr Dr Yahya Jammeh has today (18/01/2006) stated a process of curing HIV/AIDs patients, patients will be available for HIV test by Monday 24/01/2006 to confirm the potency of his herbal treatment and that the Government Royal Victoria Teaching Hospital (RVTH) will do the HIV test.

The start date was announced at a ceremony at the state house attended by the Gambian vices president and other dignitaries including Cuban and Taiwanese Ambassadors.

At the ceremony, President Jammeh said he was not a witch doctor and that no one can be a witch doctor that you are either a witch or a doctor. President Jammeh who will also be treating Asthmatic patients will only treat patients who are certified by medical practitioner or medical institutions having HIV/AIDS or Asthma. The President will treat 10 HIV/AIDS patients every Thursday and that 3 days patients go strictly by treatment will to be cured.

He indicated that only patients who wish to be treated publicly are welcome, patients will be given a starting treatment in the morning and then in the evening, it is expected that patients will not eat any oily food the morning before starting the treatment but could eat whatever they wish until they take the evening treatment, they will then have to stop eating or drinking until the following morning. He advised that they may go to toilet every 5 minutes and that toilet facilities should made available at the treatment centre and that doctors and nurses will be available to monitor patients to ensure strict adherence to the treatment. The asthmatic patients will be treated on Saturdays and for only 1 day, they are to avoid seafood and peppery food before taking the medicine, after which they will not be allowed to eat for 4 hours, they will them have to stay away for alcoholic drinks for 6 months. The Gambia is one of the most medically researched countries in Africa, the British Medical Research Council(MRC) has a unit which is about 58years old with staff from all over the globe, the unit is mainly involved in Malaria, HIV and TB research. The MRC unit is not involved in the President’s activity because the unit will require ethnical clearance with very clear methodology. Scientists of this unit are lip tight for now as the president has chosen to work with doctors who will not sabotage his treatment.

The Gambia with a population of about 1.5million has an HIV prevalence of about 2.0%, Anti Retroviral treatment started in October 2004 with the help the global fund project. Though there are a number of HIV treatment centres, the MRC unit does a number of confirmatory laboratory test for HIV patients in the country, it is therefore strange that only the RVTH will be confirming the HIV status of the treated patients after treatment with the president’s medicine. The level of literacy is said to be low and the is a culture of silence in the country with most people living in fear, the worst victims have been journalist and civil servants.

President Jammeh though elected democratically under a constitution, is known to rule with an iron fist and tolerates no divergent views; it is therefore difficult to get other views until we see the outcome of the treatment that is if we will ever get the chance.

However state radio and television station has been broadcasting the activities of President Jammeh the Medical Doctor.