By Numo Blafo III-PRO
Introduction:
The mention of traditional medicine normally sends people’s imagination running wild with the thought of witch-doctors with magic wands ready to pronounce some incantations for your ailment to disappear or applying some herbs on the affected person or further still, mixing some kind of concoctions unholy to behold, for the patient to ingest.
It is as if the modern minds have been conditioned to perceive this prehistoric healthcare delivery system in the kind of negative light that it is usually described.
To Dr. Kofi Bobi Barimah, Acting Executive Director of the Center for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) located at Manpong in the Eastern Region, in 2000 B.C. when people complain of an ailment, they are given some leaves or tree’s back or better still, some roots to chew. As modernization set in, people became dependent on orthodox orallopathic medicines which are synthesized compounds from some of these tree leaves, backs orroots.
But now, the narration is rapidly changing with lots more people turning to the traditional ways of healing and curing diseases. These curative or healing forms are easily and readily available in urban communities and especially, most rural communities. According to the World Health Organization [WHO], “in-low and middle-income countries, up to 80% of the population may rely on TM for their primary health care needs”.The realization is also dawning on a lot of people that, the naturally obtained herbs have the potency and efficacy to cure an ailment more than the synthetic compounds associated with allopathic medicine which in many circumstances, have side effects for the patient.
Traditional and Alternative Medicine Practice:
These forms of healthcare delivery have been with man for centuries before the advent of allopathic or bio-medicine. However, it was handed down from generation to generation orally, or through apprenticeship as well as through the possession ofa person by either spirit ofa dead ancestor or the gods these people worship. Though some of these acts were difficult to ascertain as a fact, current trends of diagnosis employing technology have proved beyond doubt that, these forms of healthcare delivery have the efficacy and the potency they are claimed to have.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Traditional Medicine (TM) includes diverse health practices, approaches, knowledge, and beliefs incorporating plants, animals and or mineral-based medicines, spiritual therapies, mutual techniques and exercises applied singularly or in combination to maintain well-being, as well as to treat, diagnose or prevent illness”. While Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) refers to a broad set of healthcare practices that are not part of the country’s own tradition, these forms of healing practices have become very popular in the country. Other terms sometimes used to describe these health care practices include “Natural Medicine”,“Non- conventional Medicine” andor “Holistic Medicine”.
Aside from these, there are the traditional birth attendants (TBAs), traditional circumcisers (Wanzams), prayer camps or faith-based healing, and many other forms of healing practices. Currently, all these sets of health care delivery are very popular in Ghana to the extent that, the government is gradually but consciously integrating these practices especially, traditional medicine practice in the primary health care delivery in the country. A common practice well known to mostly rural dwellers and some urban dwellers is the practice where one consults the practitioner or ‘herbs seller’ or the native doctor, informs him/her of the symptoms being experienced and immediately some herbs are put together and the sick person is directed as to how to use it and this is known as the‘extemporaneous preparations’. About 53District hospitals have established herbal medicine clinics attached to them and manned by professionals called ‘Medical Herbalists’.
These are persons who have been trained at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) as herbal doctors. Others have also trained in the dispensation of herbal medicines to operate pharmacies for herbal medicine. There are trained traditional and alternative medicine assistants who assist the medical herbalists in the herbal hospitals and clinics as nurses as well as laboratory technicians.
Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC):
The Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) is a state institution established by the Traditional Medicine Practice TMP Act 2000 (Act 575) “to promote, control and regulate traditional medicine practice” as a key object among its functions in Ghana. The Council in fulfilling the object of its mandate has some four [4] departments/units whose activities define the agency as a regulatory body. These are the Compliance and Enforcement (C&E) Unit, Standards Setting, Accreditation, and the Training Units. By way of regulation, the Council registers and issue licenses and certificates to practitioners and manufacturers of herbal medicinal products.
Other units of the Council are, the Administration, Human Resource (HR), Finance, Budget, Procurement, Public Relations, and Client Service. All these units make up the structure of the TMPC with the Registrar as its Chief Executive Officer.There is a governing board and committees such as the vetting and publicity committees. Currently, there is a bill before Parliament which when passed will change the name of the TMPC to TAMPC i.e. Traditional and Alternative Medicine Practice Council.
Training Unit:
This unit is responsible for conducting continuous Professional Development (CPD) programs for Chinese nationals practicing the Chinese healing forms in Ghana, and Indigenous Practitioners and Medical Herbalists (MHs).
It as well conducts Pre-Service Training for Traditional and Alternative Medicine Assistants (TAMA B1&B2) categories, Post-Service training for Traditional and Alternative Medicine Assistants (TAMA), and In-Service training upon request by a particular health care provider for its staff. It also conducts Professional Qualifying Examinations (PQE) for Medical Herbalist (MH) and Complementary Health Assistants (CHAs).
Standards Setting Unit:
The Standards Setting Unit is a new unit tasked to review existing standards, recommend and set standards for operational use by practitioners and manufacturers in line with TMP ACT 2000 (Act 575, sec.40). The standards unit is to engage practice groups to harmonize existing standards (practice and premises) and also to cooperate with relevant personnel to ensure compliance and develop a checklist for use on the field by registration officers. The unit review curriculum of training institutions and cooperate with the training unit in drawing up a curriculum for Traditional Medicine Training Colleges in accordance with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) department of Traditional Medicine guidelines.
Compliance and Enforcement Unit:
This is the unit responsible for the enforcement of the TMPC regulations as set out in the TMP Act 2000 (Act 575). Personnel of this unit inspects premises of practitioners and manufacturers to ensure they are licensed and are complying with laid down rules expected of them. It is also the task of this unit to enforce and guide practitioners to comply with standards set by the Standard Setting unit. They are also responsible for the prosecution of recalcitrant practitioners and manufacturers.
Before a practitioner is issued with a license to operate by the TMPC, the Compliance and Enforcement Unit has a duty to inspect the premises of the practitioner or manufacturer to ensure standards have been met depending on exactly what the applicant had applied for and placed under the appropriate category for certification and the issuance of license.
Organized Groups:
With these well-structured units to ensure proficiency as well as standards in practice, there are several established practice groups with an umbrella body known as GHAFTRAM or Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association. This had led to some African countries coming to Ghana to understudy the capability of the TMPC to regulate the traditional medicine practice since to them, they cannot see how to regulate a practice that is normally passed on orally and had existed before colonialist would bring the Western style governance. No wonder, the Traditional Medicine Week Commemoration instituted in 1999 and the African Traditional Medicine Day, three (3) years later to celebrate and acknowledge traditional medicine practitioners, are all observed in Ghana where other African countries in the Sub-Region join.
This then positions Ghana as a Traditional and Alternative Medicine Health Care Tourism Hub in the Sub-Region where people from all over the world can come for healing of a plethora of diseases as well as chronic ailments, be it physical or spiritual.
Tourism:
Tourism is the activity of people travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for leisure, business or health treatment and other purposes for a short period of time not more than one year. These places can be a naturally built environment or artificially made.
Some type of tourism products includes tour operators, shopping centers (mall), sport tourism, Visiting Friends and Relatives (VFR), nature tourism(recreational) and health tourism among others.The culture of the people is also another source of tourist attractions.
Health Tourism:
It is an act of travelling to a destination and focusing on medical treatment and the use of health care services while having pleasure. Costa Rica, India, Panama, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and South Africa are some of the well-known destinations for health tourism.
The question today is, since Traditional and Alternative Medicine is flourishing with all of its different components being fully practiced in Ghana, is Ghana ready to establish itself as a Traditional and Alternative Medicine health tourism destination in the Sub-Region, that is offering an exceptional cure or medical treatment to health disorders which will lure people (tourist) from far and near to come for health benefits at the same time having leisure at the several tourism destinations in the Country?The answer is a big Yes.
Justification:
It is trite knowledge that globally, the Ancestors and most of the immediate past elders have aged gracefully, living longer lives than can be witnessed currently. Aside living in cleaner environments than seen today, as automobiles and other mechanical equipment’s fumes pollute the atmosphere unabated, they also relied solely on medicinal plants or herbs for their daily health needs.
In parts of the world where hard to explain phenomena is attributed to the spirits or gods or God, belief systems have played significant roles in health care by providing the avenue for the diagnosis and prescription of herbal preparations and or, spiritual directions for the patient to be healed, ‘Holistically’. This is the belief system where the patient is believed to be healed both spiritually, mentally and physically as the affliction is generally believed to have been caused by the patient having offended the gods or God or has disturbed the natural flow energies around him or her.
Furthermore, technology has enhanced the capabilities of practitioners to diagnose and prescribe ailments and their curative preparations are much more successful and can be scientifically verified. Chiropractic practitioners dealing with spinal disorders are easily assessable. Bone setters, fertility facilities, centers for the cure of chronic diseases and various disease conditions are available.
Accredited manufacturers of herbal medicines for different disease conditions are on the rise and with the best practice and trainings provided by the Council and the practitioner’s individual acquisition of the right caliber of human and technical resources, are manufacturing quality products, and professionally labeled to compete with any other pharmaceutical products on a pharmacy’s shelves. The voguein products are the organic beauty products which is a shift from synthetic chemical beauty products that come with their side and after effects on the user. These herbal beauty products which are organic, are safe with no side effects nor after effects.Massage parlors where herbal medicine based products are used, are also available.
Finally, with the coming of the Corona Virus [COVID 19], many of the herbal medicine manufacturers including those who are into what is termed as ‘extemporaneous’ preparations expressed the optimism of their various portions as a cure for persons with the virus as well as fortification against it. Additionally, those who have already manufactured products on the market were of the view that, if the virus attacks the immune system, the only way for the body to fight back is its immune system to be strong. So, since they already have products for that purpose which have also been approved by the Foods and Drugs Authority [FDA], the government institution mandated to ensure only safe, quality and efficacious products get onto the market for consumption, it is only proper that those medicinal products be administered to patients with the virus to ascertain its potency against the virus.
Consequently, extemporaneous herbalists insist that, judging from the symptoms associated with the COVID 19 being reported, they have several recipes that can assuage and probably a sure cure for patients down with the virus and all they needed was their preparations being tried by authorities in conjunction with the Manpong Centre for Plant Medicine Research and the Noguchi Memorial Institute. They are very sure of their claims. Health Spars to enhance recuperation of patients are as well established in very serene locations in the country. This makes Ghana a well-suited Traditional and Alternative Medicine Tourist destination within the Sub-Region.
Recommendations and Conclusion:
With this strong foundation of a safe, easily accessible and assessable health provision system available in the country, achieving goal three [3] of the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’, which is to ensure healthy lives and to promote the well-being for all at all ages, is assured.
Policy framing, safety assurance, efficacious and quality products, enhanced access to TAM facilities and proper promotion of TAM practices and productsare the WHO’s Traditional Medicine Strategy for 2002-2005. The government of Ghana had established institutions to ensure that, industry players consciously operate by these guidelines, therefore, positioning them on the right pedestal to compete with their contemporaries globally.
Private entrepreneurs in the TAM i.e. Traditional, and Alternative Medicine industry have already taken the commanding heights in making the practice flourish in the country and it is attracting a number of youth into it. All that is needed currently is the government’s commitment through investment in focused research and the collaboration with industry players that will translate research findings into quality, efficacious and potent products that will be able to compete with any other product of its kind on the international market to also attract direct foreign investment into the area. Ghana and its people stand to benefit immensely as it is said that, “the wealth of a nation lies in the health of its people.”
