Involve traditional medicine practitioners in Ebola prevention fight
The Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners (GHAFTRAM) has called on the government to engage its members in the effort to prevent the outbreak of Ebola in the country.
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It expressed concern over the failure of the health authorities to engage the federation as part of measures to combat the disease.
The federation claimed that it could help contain the spread of the Ebola virus and also save the country millions of dollars it would spend on imported drugs in case the disease is reported in Ghana.
The National Organiser of the federation, Nana Kwadwo Obiri, made the call during the election and swearing-in of a new executive for the Greater Accra branch of the federation last Wednesday.
The nine-member Greater Accra Regional executive is led by Mr Oscar Donkor.
Nana Obiri said it was important that the federation had first-hand information on preparations being made in the country against Ebola because “our members are usually the first point of contact when there is the outbreak of any disease”.
NHIS drug list
Nana Obiri also expressed concern over the decision of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) not to include herbal medicine in the list of approved drugs.
That decision, he said, did not augur well for the call on the public to patronise made-in-Ghana goods and healthcare.
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He appealed to the government to provide the necessary support for the sector to boost traditional medicine as part of the effort to promote quality health care in the country.
Nana Obiri said the sector had so much potential which, when developed, could save the country much of the money it expended on drug imports.
Need for regulation
In his acceptance speech, Mr Donkor said although a large section of the public patronised herbal medicine, its unregulated nature made it difficult for many others to use it.
He condemned the practice where drug peddlers sold uncertified drugs openly at the markets, the lorry parks and on commercial vehicles and called on the authorities to crack down on such activities to bring sanity into the herbal medicine sector.
Mr Donkor said what was even more worrying was that some quacks posed as traditional medicine practitioners and sold inferior products to the unsuspecting public, a development that was tarnishing the image of traditional medicine practitioners.
Writer’s email: erasmussolomon24@gmail.com