Govt urged to encourage the use of herbal AIDS drugs
Kumasi, May 13, GNA - The government has been called upon to initiate measures that would encourage the production and use of quality and efficacious alternative drugs to complement the administration of anti-retroviral drugs on HIV/AIDS patients in the country.
Dr Dickson Ansah Baah, proprietor of Nature's Line Clinic at Patasi in Kumasi, who made the appeal, said most herbal preparations, which had been certified by the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine at Mampong-Akuapem, had been proved to be potent and efficacious in the treatment and management of opportunistic infections and booster the immune systems of HIV/AIDS patients.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Kumasi on Wednesday, Dr Baah also suggested to the government and the Ghana AIDS Commission (GAC) to institute an exhibition or conference on herbal drugs used to manage AIDS in the country to enable the government and practitioners brainstorm and come out with appropriate guidelines that would help encourage the production and use of potent herbal drugs to treat HIV/AIDS victims.
Dr Baah said his herbal drug "Dicavira 2" which had been tested and approved by the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine, had proved to be potent in preventing opportunistic infections and booster the immune systems of AIDS patients who had been using the drugs for the past three years were still living healthy lives, adding that, currently, about 40 patients were being treated with the drug free of charge.
Dr Baah, a laboratory technician who had studied alternative medicine and researched extensively on the HIV/AIDS virus, said the use of potent herbal drugs in the management of HIV/AIDS, would help reduce the use of anti-retroviral drugs, which were very expensive and beyond the reach of most patients.
The anti-HIV/AIDS campaigner, who started his HIV prevention education programme as far back as 1996, said the objective of his clinic was to improve the health status of people living with AIDS, provide quality and affordable remedies to patients, provide counselling services as well as education on good nutrition for AIDS patients. He called for an effective collaboration between the orthodox and alternative medicine practitioners to provide suitable remedies that would help ease some of the sufferings of AIDS victims to enable them to live longer lives. 13 May 04