Herbalist advocates establishment of plant medicine research departments

Dr Evans Kwasi Toffah, a plant medicine practitioner, has called for the establishment of plant medicine research departments at the regional levels for easy accessibility and to advance and improve the efficacy of plant medicine in the country.

He said these research departments would offer opportunities for herbalists and plant medicine practitioners to undertake more research on quality products.

He said that it could greatly help improve the nation’s healthcare service delivery for useful outcomes.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview, Dr Toffah, a practitioner at the Malincom Herbal Center in Sunyan, noted that integration of science in herbal medicine practice remained key to improving the quality and efficacy of herbal medicine.

He said the capacities and knowledge of herbal medicine practitioners ought to improve, considering their immeasurable contributions to advancing the nation’s healthcare delivery and improving the quality of life of the people.

Dr Toffah said it was always stressful for herbal medicine practitioners in the Bono Region and parts of the country to travel to the Center for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) at Mampong Akuapim in the Eastern Region for research.

He called for effective collaboration among stakeholders in the sector for the establishment of those research departments in the supreme interest of the nation.