Taiwo Bankole
The President of the National Association of Nigeria Traditional Medicine Practitioners, Alhaji Shaaba Mekudi, on Wednesday, urged the National Assembly to step up work on the passage of the bill to establish Traditional, Complimentary and Alternative Council of Nigeria.
Mekudi said the establishment of the council would help to regulate the practice of traditional medicine in the country and upscale its standards such that it will meet up with the international expectations.
The NANTMP President made the call in in Abeokuta during the workshop organised by its South-West branch in collaboration with United Nations Federation of International Astro on the Practice of Traditional Medicine in Nigeria.
The theme of the two-day conference is “The Impacts of NAFDAC in the Preparation and Selling of Herbal Medicine in Nigeria.”
Mekudi said,”When you go to Ghana and other countries, you will see establishment of traditional medicine council.
We are also using this opportunity to call on the National Assembly and the Federal Government to ensure the passage of this bill to establish the Traditional, Complimentary and Alternative Council.
“We need this council to regulate our practice and bring it up to standard. See where China is today in herbal medicine. We must develop our tradition, even the World Health Organisation said that 85 per cent of the world today depends on traditional medicine.
“China and other countries of the world are where they are today because of the government’s support but we are yet to have a regulatory body and this will always slow down our progress.
“We have all the available resources, we have the manpower, we have the raw materials but we have not been able to package these medicine and market them within the nation and outside the country. We are calling on the government to help with the establishment of Traditional Medicine Council of Nigeria.”
The NANTMP President call for unity among the members, saying that they would be able to take the practice of traditional and alternate medicine to greater heights once they are united
Delivering his lecture at the workshop, the African Director of Coordinator for the United Nations Federation of International Astro, Prof Olumuyiwa Babalola, said that the federation’s presence in the country represented an exciting opportunity to elevate, empower, and integrate traditional medicine as a vital part of our national healthcare system.
Babalola said, “Through training programmes, the United Nations Federation of International ASTRO aims to work closely with practitioners to standardise and enhance these practices, ensuring that patients receive the safest and most reliable care possible.
“We envision creating certification programmes and accreditation systems in partnership with Nigeria’s health ministries.
“These initiatives will not only build trust between traditional practitioners and the public but also provide traditional medicine with a respected place in Nigeria’s broader healthcare system.”
In his welcome address, the South-West President of NANTMP, Samson Soyoye, said the workshop became imperative so that the members could broaden their horizons on they could go about doing their business without running foul of the laws of the land.
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