• Says it proved the efficacy of Ayurvedic medicine
• Chemicals used for ripening fruits regardless of health risks

By Kelum Bandara

As many as 8,000 COVID-19 patients sought treatment at Ayurveda Hospital in Navinna, Maharagama but none of them succumbed to the disease, a minister said.

State Minister of Indigenous Medicine Promotion, Rural and Ayurvedic Hospitals Development and Community Health Sisira Jayakody said it proved the efficacy of Ayurvedic medicine in the management of COVID-19 patients.

He made these remarks while addressing the activists of his political party ‘Mahajana Eksath Peramuna’ which is an ally of the government on Saturday in Kottawa, Colombo.

The Minister said a new public discourse had been initiated in the country on the use of chemicals in agriculture and fruit ripening.  He said chemical substances were applied for ripening fruits such as bananas, pineapples, watermelons regardless of health risks.

“Health hazards are now visible with the rise of cancer patients,” he said.   

 
Commenting on ongoing protests, the minister took a dig at the JVP. He said the JVP maintained stoic silence in the face of corruption and malpractices at the Mahapola Trust Fund and Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT) in Malabe during the time of the previous Yahapalana government. 

He said the JVP remained mute at that time because it was unofficially aligned to that government. 

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Health hazards are now visible with the rise of cancer patients