The Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee for Health Alhaji Mubarak Muntaka Mohammed has debunked the assertion that herbal and traditional medicine is for the poor and the illiterate. Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak underscored the need to enhance the production of traditional herbal medicine to meet the regulated standard and also attract the elites in the society to discredit the notion that herbal medicine is for the poor.
Commenting on the strategy for formal institutionalization of plant medicine in Ghana on Adom FM's Dwaso Nsem Monday, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak said the efficacy of herbal medicine cannot be underestimated, and called for more research into herbal and traditional medicine.
He expressed worry over a developing trend where unregistered drugs with the Food and Drugs Board, are included in the drug list by Herbal Practitioners. Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak condemned herbal peddlers who usually claim one medicine can cure more ailments, adding such practice do not augur well for the herbal industry.
On the issue of Herbal and traditional medicine practitioners relegated to the background in decision making, Alhaji Muntaka Mubarak called on the Ghana Federation of Traditional and Herbal Medicine practitioners (GHAFTRAHM) to officially write to the Ministry of Health to be included in decision making.
However, the Director for Traditional and Alternative Medicine at the Ministry for Health, Peter Arhin was worried over how traditional and herbal medicine practitioners have not been involved in decision making with regards to the herbal industry.
Peter Arhin challenged the select committee to back their words with deeds. He identified weaknesses of the association which includes increasing hospital reports of toxicity, some poor practices and unsafe products, scattered information and scanty reports on long term safety and adverse effects. He added that most herbalists are poor and cannot fund innovations and research of their own products.