The much criticized company on social and mainstream media this week – the Niugini BioMed maintains it was registered in good faith to ‘save lives’ and not to siphon money from the government.
This follows leaked documents from a cabinet submission which purportedly highlighted the name of Niugini BioMed Company and group of local scientist behind the firm that had presented their Covid-19 treatment research findings in August to Prime Minister James Marape and several other stakeholders, thus the emergence of the awarding of K10.2 million by the National Executive Council (NEC). Niugini BioMed comprising of expert scientists, professors and doctors from the University of Papua New Guinea and UPNG Health Services presented their side of the story to the media in a press conference at the Holiday Inn conference room on Friday afternoon.
According PNG Investment Promotion Authority (PNGIPA) search, the company directors include Dr Arnold Waine, Frank Me’alin, Tony Lupiwa, Reddy Kuama, Dr Christopher Kinipi, Dr Bomai Kerenga, Elizabeth Bradshaw and Belly Asong.
The group confirmed they had sought government funding of K10 million to assist their mission to identify specific available drugs on the pharmaceutical shelves to cure Covid-19.
Prior to that, the team revealed they had started their research since the Covid-19 pandemic outbreak early this year and used a total of K50,000 of their own resources to do this.
“Nothing wrong, it’s not something like we just slept and woke up and did this,” Chairman of the Niugini BioMed Dr Bomai Keregna said in response to questions from the media.
What is K10 million compared to saving lives of millions of Papua New Guineans, Dr Kerenga responded when asked if their proposal for K10 million is justified.
Considering the fluctuation of the exchange rate and stability of the kina, most of the K10 million will be used to purchase equipment abroad in US or Australian dollars which would be costly, he said.
Dr Kerenga said the team used its own money, resources, time and energy to conduct the research. It has not received any funding support from the government to date.
“Different companies around the world have been doing the same kind of work as we did and we could have easily sold our discovery to them. However, as patriotic Papua New Guinean’s we decided to choose our country over our personal gains,” he said.
The research was sanctioned by the Chemistry Discipline of the School of Natural and Physical Sciences of UPNG.
Prime Minister James Marape in his earlier statement has clarified
and defended his Cabinet’s approval of the K10.2 million funding for the
research on coronavirus cure and treatment conducted by the medical practitioners.
He said there is nothing wrong for the government to support Papua New Guineans taking the initiative to tap into innovations in the field of medical research and science.
“This is just a policy that was approved by Cabinet and we are working through; in fact, as soon as this Cabinet paper comes out then we will work with our health department and all our research institute to see for collaboration and peer review and progressed this.
“The K10 million plus is not just to pay them off as SME fee but it’s just for the entire program including working with UPNG Science lab and going forward so it’s a program that came out for the research aspect not just for the company,” Marape said.
“The company’s name was put to ensure that no one steals the idea. These are ideas from this group of people and scientists who work with them.
“K10 million is the money we have given out for the consultation work and progress the research work carried out,” he added.
Meanwhile, Health and HIV/AIDS Minister Sir Puka Temu said the Cabinet on October 21, 2020 approved the submission through the Prime Minister’s office.
“My view is that because Covid-19 is new and the world is still handling many different therapeutic models, it makes good chance for us to also in our own structures gather a combination of a therapeutic agents and research it and inbuilt to the knowledge of the Covid-19 in the world.
“PNG is known for its good medical research and so myself and my Secretary will make sure that, that particular company which Cabinet has endorsed; the structures for research will have to be done properly”.
“It will go through our Health Research Medical Advisory Council, making sure that the structure is right so when it’s implemented and reported it means global scientific research standard.
“That’s the area that we will be focusing on but I believe that PNG will hopefully, with this initiative will add to the knowledge of Covid-19 which is lacking in the world today,” Sir Puka said.
When responding to the national Executive Council’s decision to award K10.2 million to a two months old company which appears questionable, president of the National Doctors Association (NDA) Dr James Naipao simply said; “The Niugini BioMed Limited team’s intentions ignored established research facilities such as the ones at the UPNG, UOT, UOG, MRI, MRAC, Agriculture Department and Department of Health.”
Dr Naipao said their intentions ignored the value of their tremendous work and it resulted in lack of cohesion and whatever the outcome, trial phase and approval phase will require a great number of collaboration, inputs and participation, and it won’t be this team alone.
He said when Covid-19 became a global pandemic, in Papua New Guinea, numbers raised with panic spreading in all sectors of this country and made worse by the fear installed by the government and its concerned department(s).
“In the end, as expected and as what NDA stated and presented to the National Parliamentary Committee on SOE regarding Covid-19, it did little damage, those few died had comorbidities. Those that got infected, recovered as alluded,” Dr Naipao said.
Dr Naipao said the experience is from its sister flu viruses.
He said the difference was that Covid-19 was a lung eater and a blood clotter, and that is the findings revealed to us internationally.
“Did we find this too in PNG? No research was done. NDA’s presentation to the Parliamentary Committee on SOE regarding Covid-19 remains as is to this day.
“There is something that is protecting the Melanesians. Is the black pigment in us that is the answer? Interestingly, it could be. One of ‘you like him or you hate him colleague’ is involved in this project might come up with the research findings. Work has previously been done on this too.
Dr Naipao said in the country, all Papua New Guineans know of two miracle drugs, and there are; Amoxcillin and Panadol – and, in the medical world, all doctors know of drugs that are workhorses that can treat many different diseases.
But to read it in the papers and social media that this team has gone ahead to register a company just two months ago and to pump this K10.2m by the government of PNG into this company does not go down well with the public and the medical fraternity,” Dr Naipao said.
He said their research work is credible but to sign a K10m to an infant company is questionable and the government has come so low in this decision.
Dr Naipao said this team’s intentions overlooked collaboration and their intentions made them to run than walk.
“The world is watching on this great monumental development on Covid-19. News of it has reached the international news,” the NDA president said.
Also director of the PNG Institute of Medical Research William Pomat, said his organisation was not contacted for “advice and recommendations” by Niugini BioMed.
“I have not heard or been involved with any discussions with [this] group. I am concerned that the IMR [Institute of Medical Research] has been overlooked in trying to get this through,” he said.
Furthermore, government statutory bodies such as the Health Department, the PNG Medical Research Institute, as well as provincial health authorities and the National AIDS Council Secretariat were also unaware of the cabinet submission, or any plans for their involvement.
