Sri Lankan Health Minister Falls Ill, Replaced After Promoting ‘Magic Potion’ for COVID-19

A sorcerer’s solution to COVID-19 in the form of a potion in a bottle took a wrong turn when a health minister falls ill after taking the drink.

Pavithra Wanniarachchi was removed from her position as a Sri Lankan health minister after promoting ‘potions’ as cure for COVID-19. This potion is a syrup made by self-described sorcerer Dhammika Bandara who claimed that the recipe for the potion was given to him by the Hindu goddess, Kali, that grants drinkers protection from the virus.

The drink contains honey, nutmeg, coriander and other herbs, and is available for only $13 a bottle.

Although traditional and herbal medicine is popular in Sri Lanka, Bandara’s potion was promoted by pro-government media and politicians were seen and reported to have minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Women and Child Development Minister Piyal Nishantha de Silva who both later contracted COVID with Wanniarachchi ending up in intensive care.

According to Al Jazeera, Wanniarachchi did not approve of the medicine and she was heavily criticised for promoting the drink and giving people false information and hope.

Wanniarachchi was then removed from her position by Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa but she will retain her post in the cabinet as transport minister.

Sri Lankan minister of mass media, Keheliya Rambukwella, shared that the government does not endorse Bandara’s potion even though some parliaments took it as food supplement like the official indigenous medicine unit.

Sri Lanka’s surge of cases has resulted in banning the lockdown rejection with restaurants only operating 50% capacity while public and social gatherings are completely banned, as reported by Sri Lanka’s Daily News. (CT)