By: Edith Atiaka Eshun
The Traditional Medicine Practice Council, TMPC, had called for increased investment in research and development to transform Ghana’s traditional medicine knowledge into safe, effective and evidence-based healthcare.
The Registrar of the Council, Dr. (MH) Yakubu Tobor Yusuf, at a media launch in Accra to commemorate African Traditional Medicine Day, said traditional knowledge provides the foundation for developing medicines, but scientific research is needed to establish their safety, effectiveness and quality.
This year’s commemoration is on the theme: “Reflection on Research and Development Efforts of Traditional Medicine towards Achieving Universal Health Coverage in the African Region.”
Citing the development of the malaria drug artemisinin from ancient Chinese herbal knowledge as an example of how research can transform traditional remedies into medicines capable of saving millions of lives, Dr. Yakubu Tobor Yusuf said Ghana must undertake similar research into its own medicinal plants instead of waiting for others to do so.
He noted that although research is already being undertaken by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and Central University, with support from GIZ and Pharmavax, to develop standardised herbal products for the management of hypertension and pain, there is the need for collaboration among institutions including the Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Health Service, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, HeFRA and the Pharmacy Council to ensure safe and quality traditional medicine practice.
On training, Dr. Tobor Yusuf said Ghana’s university education in herbal medicine has progressed to the doctoral level.
Dr. Tobor Yusuf disclosed plans to introduce a six-month competency-based curriculum for indigenous practitioners, with the programme expected to be delivered in local languages and within practitioners’ communities, while taking into account their years of experience. The Registrar says the objective is to ensure that no traditional medicine practitioner is left behind in efforts to professionalise and regulate the sector.
The African Traditional Medicine Day is observed annually on August 31 and highlights the contribution of traditional medicine to healthcare across the continent.
