Madagascar: Justice wants to hear the dean of the medical faculty of Tamatave

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The dean of the medical school of Tamatave and current head of department of internal medicine at the city hospital in charge of welcoming the patients of Covid-19 was placed in police custody Thursday, May 28. He was heard in the investigation of the suspicious death of one of his colleagues suffering from the coronavirus, found hanged on Sunday in his hospital room.

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With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Sarah Tétaud

All day, city carers, informed of his arrest, observed a sit-in outside the premises of the gendarmerie of the criminal research section, to express their support for Stéphane Ralandison, dean of the medical school of Tamatave and head of the internal medicine department at the Morafeno University Hospital.

Released yesterday evening at 7 p.m., the professor is summoned this Friday, May 29 at 7 a.m. to the city court to be heard by the investigating judge. The charges have not been made public.

" I am accused of the murder of the doctor who was found hanged in the hospital on Sunday " testifies, dazed, on our microphone, this respected professor.

The interrogation lasted 3 hours. " What is the cause of death? "," Why didn't you make a more detailed observation? "," Did you kill your colleague out of revenge? »Maître Berthieu, his lawyer, says:«  Of course, my client denied everything as a whole. But he was also asked questions about a publication [of his open letter] on Linkedin , about the repercussions of his publication. The fact that he expressed his point of view as a scientist, I fear that this is also one of the causes of his arrest.  "

Doubts as to the real reason for the arrest

A month ago, at the time of the launch of Covid-Organics, the improved traditional remedy, the professor stood out on the social network, recalling the need to remain rigorous and rational in the face of precipitation linked to the pandemic context.

“ As the file stands, there is no charge against my client. And I even wonder about the reason why he was arrested today,  ”concluded his lawyer.

The Attorney General of Tamatave, Thierry Rajaona, asked for the file to be sent to him. Contacted in the evening, he specifies: “  I am studying the file, but on the charges and discharges, I cannot tell you anything: it is the secret of the information for the moment. There is still a deposit warrant. You will find out later if there are any. It's up to me to decide. And I can't tell you more . "

Stéphane Ralandison will be brought this Friday morning before the Tamatave court. In a handwritten letter published last night on social networks, the man calls his colleagues to come and attend the hearing, in white coats.

Covid-Organics: towards a large-scale study?

Last week, the World Health Organization in Africa had declared that it would accompany Madagascar in the process of analyzing the Covid-Organics, an artemisia-based decoction presented as a remedy against the coronavirus by the Madagascan president. This Thursday 28 May, during a virtual press conference, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, detailed the progress of the discussions between the institution and the Malagasy government on the Covid- Organics.

“ We are continuing discussions with the government of Madagascar. We have already reached an agreement with them: the WHO and the Africa CDC will support them in the development of a protocol to assess the efficacy and side effects of Covid-Organics. We are also contacting other African countries that have received and are using the remedy to offer to participate in a large-scale joint study. So the discussions are progressing.

We will also work with other partners to assess everything that is happening, and at the very least put together a technical team of African scientists experienced in clinical trials. "

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