MP Fights For Herbal Medicine

Hon Alfred Agbesi

THE EFFICACY of traditional or herbal medicine has been proven beyond doubt in the country, thus convincing prominent people including the Member of Parliament for Ashaiman, Alfred Agbesi to call on Ministry of Health to support growth of the sector.

“Some of us are traditionalists and we have tried both the orthodox and herbal medicines to treat ailments and I can tell you the traditional medicine works very well.

We should try to grow the industry,” Hon. Agbesi elucidated at a three-day workshop in Sogakope in the Volta Region organized by Canadian Parliamentary Centre in collaboration with Ghana's Parliament for MPs to review the 2010 budget.

He decried the neglect and lack of support for local herbal medicines in the country whilst the Ghanaian market is rather religiously flooded with foreign products including Chinese herbal medicine.

In pursuit of his advocacy, Hon. Agbesi has called on the Health Ministry to consider setting up traditional hospitals alongside orthodox ones to foster collaboration in the prevention and treatment of diseases.

Supporting the call, MP for East Ayawaso and Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Dr. Mustapha Ahmed called for the strengthening of institutions that monitor the practice of traditional medicine in the country.

This according to him is to ensure that practices of herbalists are regularized and monitored for them to effectively and properly provide the health needs of the people.

By Awudu Mahama