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After a decade
devoted to the research and development of African traditional
medicine, researchers, practitioners, scientists and policy makers
alike are still dissatisfied that it is not given proper recognition in
the national healthcare system.

The Africa Union
(AU) had in July 2001 declared the year 2001-2010 as the decade of
traditional medicine in recognition of its vast potentials and its
immense contribution to the continent’s sustainable development in
health and wellbeing of her people. This is based on the WHO’S (World
Health Organization) premise that 85 per cent of the people utilize one
form of traditional medicine or the other.

It also recognizes
it as a source of poverty alleviation, wealth and job creation with an
estimated annual global trade worth USD100 billion.

But at the
commemoration of the ‘End of Decade for Traditional Medicine last week
in Lagos, the conclusive remark is that much more still needs to be
done to officially incorporate this form of medicine into the national
healthcare delivery system.

According to the
director general of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency,
(NNMDA), Tamunoibuomi Okujagu, progress has been made in the area of
sensitization and popularization in the last decade.

“However, more
needs to be done in issues of policy, legal framework
institutionalizing traditional medicine, inauguration of National Board
to regulate traditional medicine and establishment of centres of
excellence.”

A bill too long

One of the efforts
made at institutionalizing the practice is an attempt to pass a Bill on
traditional medicine into law. The Bill titled ‘Establishment of
Nigerian Traditional Medicine Policy and the Bill to establish the
Traditional Medical Council of Nigeria’, was developed by the Federal
Ministry of Health in 2006, but has only passed through the second
reading since then. Subsequently, the house was dissolved in 2007 due
to the 2007 national election. Researchers believe a change of
government may affect the success of this Bill.

“Presently, I don’t
see much to be again done this year,” Mr Okujagu says. “The elections
are coming up again (2011 polls) and the House will be dissolved soon.
We hope that when a new House is constituted it may push it, but that
means we have to begin again. And of course the success of the Bill
will depend on someone in the House who will be able to champion the
cause.” The Bill, if passed is expected to regulate the practice by
polishing the knowledge of existing practitioners thus preventing
quackery. Studies have continued to show that a large percentage of the
population will definitely patronize herbal medicine practitioner
because they are the most accessible especially in rural areas and they
are affordable.

The chairman of the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, Bunmi Omoseyindemi emphasizes the need.

“We just have to
sensitize them enough so that they can pass the bill. Our current
healthcare delivery system cannot effectively meet the need of the
population alone; patients.” He adds, “so there is a need to develop
the manpower in traditional medicine so that they can effectively
support orthodox medicine for health promotion and illness prevention.”

So far, so good

So far, NNMDA has
made progress in developing traditional medicine through research of
medicinal plants in collaboration with university scientists and
traditional medicine practitioners who possess the indigenous
knowledge. This has led to the publishing of books on medicinal plants
of the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria. The Agency also houses a
digital virtual library said to be first of its kind in Africa. It
contains up to 589 books on traditional medicine and 80 CDs.

Dr Omoseyindemi remarks that this is commendable but not enough compared to other African countries.

“We need an institute for traditional medicine. In countries like
Ghana for instance, they have a several institutes, even universities
where a master’s degree in traditional medicine can be obtained. But
here we have only one agency for traditional medicine and one digital
library that has documentation on it.” He adds that the Lagos State
Board is also doing quite a lot in the area of training of
practitioners and accreditation to prevent quackery.