Traditional medicine bill to be put before parliament

Accra, Nov. 17, GNA - Nana Paddy Acheampong, a Deputy Minister of Health, on Wednesday said the Traditional Medicine Bill would soon be put before Parliament.

The bill when passed will ensure effective and efficient monitoring system of traditional health care practice and protect the interest of practitioners and their patients.

Nana Paddy Acheampong said this at the inauguration of the executive body of the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM), in Accra.

The federation, which has representatives from all over the country, is made up of Ghana Psychic and Traditional Healers Association, Ghana National Association of Traditional Healers, Traditional Services Organisation, Northern Sector Herbalists Association, Plant Medicine and Traditional Healers Association and Dr Asiamah Herbal Practitioners Association.

Nana Acheampong said the public is exposed to all sorts of goods and services provided by quack practitioners, whose aim is to maximise their profit at the expense of the ignorant public. "By this inauguration, the public is expecting a level of protection from you."

He said studies have shown that the doctor to patient ratio in country is one to 12,000 while that of traditional healers is one is to 400. This shows that the majority of Ghanaians use traditional medicine as their first choice.

"Therefore, there is the need to take your role seriously in the implementation and planning of health programmes." Nene Narh Dawutey Ologo, Paramount Chief of Yilo Krobo Traditional Area and a Member of Council of State, who inaugurated the federation, said the development of traditional medicine is important to the government and efforts are being made to revitalise it.

He said the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that traditional medicine caters for 60 to 80 per cent of the health care needs of people in many countries.

He urged the federation to foster collaboration with orthodox medical practitioners and other agencies under the Ministry to establish a complementary health care system to modernise the medical system in the country.

Nene Dawutey Ologo called on traditional healers to do away with dangerous and harmful practices and preserve their practices in the purest form. "We need to carefully document these practices and observations in order to contribute to their scientific analysis and objective appraisal."

Mr Okwampa Danso, Vice President of GHAFTRAM, appealed to the public to help the federation track down the quack practitioners in the system.

He also suggested to President Jerry John Rawlings to declare November 17 of every year as Traditional Medicine Day. Nana Akuoko Sarpong, Chairman of the National Commission on Culture, who presided, informed members of the association that the government has set aside the third week in March of every year starting from next year as Traditional Medicine Week.

It is to commemorate the death of Dr Oko Ampofo, whose initiative led to the establishment of the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine at Mampong Akwapim in the Eastern Region. The occasion was also used to launch the association's Constitution.