The World Health Organization (WHO) has convened its first summit dedicated to traditional medicine. The two-day meeting, co-hosted by the Indian government, began on 17 August in Gandhinagar, India. It comes after the WHO last year set up a Global Centre for Traditional Medicine in Jamnagar with US$250 million in funding from India, and in 2019 included some traditional medicines in its International Classification of Diseases-11, an influential compendium used by doctors to diagnose medical conditions.
Representing Africa, Nigerian-born WHO expert on Traditional Medicine development, Mrs Quincy Olasunmbo Ayodele who delivered a paper at the Conference, was specific on how Traditional Medicine has evolved in Nigeria and Africa as a whole.
According to Dr Ayodele while delivering her speech,
Overview
Nigeria has over 8,000 plant species with numerous benefits in ethno-medicine and ethno-pharmacy and it is being used either wholly or in combination with modern drugs.
The history of traditional medicine practices in Nigeria has been rooted in its variety of cultural heritage. Over the years, Nigeria has appreciated the enormous benefits and considered decisive approaches in building the workforce capacity to deliver traditional medicine services.
In the pursuit of excellence for capacity building in delivering effective traditional medicine in Nigeria, a lot of strategies have been implemented which include;
Capacity building and Training: The introduction of some courses in traditional medicine to students of pharmacy undergraduate within the context of ethnopharmacology. Moreover, a Center for Research in Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CRTCAM) was established in 2017. The center works in collaboration with the Nigeria Council of Physician of Natural Medicine (NCPNM) and other traditional medical practitioners.
Recognition and Regulation: The government of Nigeria has established associations like:
(a) National Association of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners as the umbrella body for Traditional Medicine Practice. (b) Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicine Department (TCAMD) within the federal ministry of health to supervise traditional medicine practices, Practitioners and products.
Research: The lack of more advance researches has led to mistrust about the safety and potency of traditional medicine. However, herbal products for the treatment of sickle-cell disease has been developed by Esoma Herbal Research Institute and Neimeth, based in Abuja which has produced significant efficacy due to the reduction in severity and frequency of the crises and even products like sugar killer 911 produced by Quincy Herbals in Lagos has been showed to be effective in balancing blood sugar level.
Cultural Switch and Urbanization: Owing to the increase in urbanization and modernisation in Nigeria, there tends to be a decline in interest in dependence on traditional medicine services.
Public Enlightenment and Awareness: Awareness education and campaigns are being implemented like African Traditional Medicine Day which is celebrated on August 31 every year to enhance acceptance by the public to seek more traditional medicine services.
National Policy and Legal Framework: The government of Nigeria has developed a national and legal policy such as (Traditional Medicine Act) TMA, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) Lagos and Nigerian Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) Abuja to support the practice of traditional medicine.
Regulatory Body
Over the course of the years, Nigeria has established NAFDAC, a Regulatory body to regulate the efficacy and toxicity of traditional medicine preparations.
Aid for Traditional Medicine Research: The federal government of Nigeria through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) provides financial assistance through grants and loans to support the practice of traditional medicine.
Quality Control of traditional medicine products: the standardization, calibration and quality control of traditional products have always been a challenging task for practitioners with limited formal education and training.
Conclusion
Traditional Medicine Practice plays an important role in healthcare delivery in Nigeria. However, there are many challenges that need to be surmounted for its full potential to be realized and harnessed.
Nigeria’s experiences encountered in building the workforce capacity to deliver efficient traditional medicine practice reflects its obligation to providing quality and accessible healthcare to its people.
The presentation which attracted applause from participant at the Conference, was adopted and incorporated as part of the feat that shows development of traditional medicine has greatly evolved in Africa.
The WHO also includes in its guidelines and policies those interventions or systems that are rigorously scientific and that have been validated with randomized control trials or systematic reviews — and it will continue this practice for traditional medicines.
