Agnes Ansah/Rakiba Mohammed
Accra, Nov.16, GNA-Dr Anastasia Yirenkyi, Director, Traditional and Alternative Medicine Directorate, Ministry of Health (MOH), says the country will soon integrate the study of traditional medicine into secondary and tertiary school curricula.
She said the initiative, which is being put together by MoH and the Ministry of Education, would help to take away the stigma associated with traditional medicine.
“We are planning to include traditional medicine studies into the secondary and tertiary institutions…”
“I think this one would help us to take away the stigma and the discrimination. It is just because at times they do not know what is in there, but as we introduce it in the curriculum, as they grow with it, naturally they would accept and they would understand traditional medications”, Dr Anastasia said.
She said this at the commemoration of the 21st African Traditional Medicine Day in Accra on Thursday.
The African Traditional Medicine Day is an occasion set aside to celebrate the importance of African traditional medicine and the crucial role it plays in promoting the health and well-being of individuals in Ghana and the West African sub-region.
The day is also celebrated to strengthen the best practices of traditional medicine, reflect on the achievements made in the industry and set new goals for the future.
This year’s celebration is on the theme: “Contribution of Traditional Medicine to Holistic Health and Well-Being for All”.
Some dignitaries at the commemoration were Dr Hafez Adams Taher, External Health Cooperation at the Technical Coordinating Department, MoH, Nii Afutu Kotey Gbomosane II, Chief of Ashale Botswe, Executives of Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM), Representatives of the World Health Organisation and Ministry of Health.
Dr Anastasia said experienced traditional medicine practitioners would be trained to teach the students.
Dr Hafez Adams, who spoke on behalf of the Director for MoH, said traditional medicine played vital roles in the healthcare system, hence the government’s commitment to grow the sector.
Dr Francis Kasolo, WHO Representative to Ghana, who had a speech read on his behalf, urged the traditional medicine community and stakeholders to implement evidence-based traditional medicine approaches to achieve health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
Prof Samuel Ato Duncan, President of GHAFTRAM, who also had a speech read on his behalf, urged Ghanaians to embrace a healthcare paradigm that transcended the boundaries between traditional and modern medicine so, that everyone could have access to a holistic healthcare service.
GNA