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The Federal Ministry of Health says plans are in the pipe line to establish traditional, complementary and alternative medicine institute to train traditional and alternative medicine practitioners across the country.
Mr Abdulaziz Abdullahi, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry made this known at the opening of a two-day training for traditional medical practitioners in Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja.
The training was organised by the Department of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) of the ministry.
Abdullahi, represented by Mrs Zainab Sheriff, Director, TCAM said the institute would host the training of the practitioners and certification.
He said the ministry was also pursuing the establishment of TCAM Council through a Bill that was currently pending before the National Assembly.
According to him, many herbal products distributed in the country are of low quality.
The permanent secretary said this had impacted negatively on the status of the herbal products in terms of confidence and perception of the products by Nigerians.
“The above scenario calls for the need to train and retrain traditional medicine practitioners in order to enhance their skills and competences.
“It is the mandate of the ministry to harness the potential of the traditional medicine practitioners in the effort to develop and integrate traditional medicine practice into the health care system of the country,’’ he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Lakowa Ibrahim, the National President, Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners, in an interview with newsmen, commended the Federal Government for organising the training for them.
Ibrahim, however, expressed the hope that the practitioners would be able to treat serious cases with herbal medicine with the support of the government.
“We have developed herbal medicine for cancer, HIV, COVID-19 and other serious diseases.
“Countries such as China and Ghana have supported their herbal medicine practitioners to develop medicines and remedies to complement orthodox medicine.
NAN
