Mr Joseph Jiya, a pharmacist with the Federal Ministry of Health has called for enabling laws to regulate and promote the proper practice of herbal medicine in the country.
Jiya made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Abuja.
“There should be enabling laws that should regulate the practice of herbal medicine.
“Awareness and education for practitioners in other health related fields will help to promote the practice.
“Already, a compendium of herbal medicine plants in the country is being compiled by experts in the field.
“It is also good to educate people to know that traditional medicine is not evil; but like every field, we have people who are not doing what they are supposed to do,’’ Jiya said.
According to him, herbal and traditional medicine is supposed to be a cultural way of not only treating people but also diagnosing different types of health problems.
Jiya said that herbal and traditional medicine should not be seen as a way of killing or destroying people.
“Nigeria movie makers should desist from carrying calabash, pots and marking body parts as part of traditional medicine.
“Practitioners could be well dressed and still carry out their practice; this would make it more dignifying rather than something evil.
“It is important to mention that some Ghanaian universities offer degree programmes in herbal medicine; soon there may be PhD programmes,’’ he said.
According to Jiya, a curriculum is currently being developed for degree programmes in herbal medicine in Nigeria.
“Ghana has a degree programme in herbal medicine, but here in Nigeria, the curriculum for the study of herbal medicine at degree level is being developed.
“I believe that when government and other stakeholders come together and continue to work, herbal medicine could be studied at degree level in the country soon,’’ he said.
Jiya said that though the National Policy on Traditional Medicine was on ground, there was need for enabling laws to give it legal backing and make it more effective.
(NAN)
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