Remove barriers on herbal medicine registration - Oppong-Nkrumah to CPMR

The Minister for Information Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah has urged the Centre for Plant Medicine Research to consider removing barriers that discourage prospective Herbal Medicine Practitioners from registering their products.

He said the Plant Medicine Industry had high potentially benefits which includes Job creation and export revenue.

Oppong Nkrumah was addressing this year’s “Dr. Oku Ampofo” Symposium of the Centre for Plant Medicine research in Accra. The ceremony was on the theme “Health and Wealth; moving towards a Ghana beyond aid”

“For you as researchers in Plant Medicine it is important to first assess how your biggest asset, Herbal Medicine can be used to drive this agenda” he said.

The Minister however expressed worry over some risks associated with the sector including consumers ingesting untested drugs and taking them in the wrong dosages or with other additives such as alcohol.

Oppong Nkrumah said “for the enormous potential benefits that Ghana stands to gain if we are to succeed in boosting Plant Medicine, these risks I have just outlined have the potential to undermine the industry if we don’t attend to them”.

WAY FORWARD

The Information Minister called on the Centre for Plant Medicine Research, the Academy and Industry players including the Food and Drugs Authority and the Ghana Standards Authority to partner Central Government in efforts to mitigate the risks associated with this potentially beneficial Industry.

He charged the Centre to step up public education campaigns both to the general public on the risks and then to Industry Players to get their various products tested and certified.

“We also have to step up pharmocovigilance in the Plant Medicine space so that the unwholesome ones do not create a bad image for the entire industry” he said.