GOVERNOR SANWO-OLU PROMISES MORE SUPPORT FOR TRADITIONAL MEDICINE PRACTITIONERS

… AS TRADITIONAL MEDICINE BOARD CELEBRATES 2021 AFRICAN TRADITIONAL MEDICINE DAY

Lagos State Governor has promised to give necessary support to traditional medicine practice in the State so that the practitioners can continue to support quality Healthcare delivery for all residents of the State.

Governor Sanwo-Olu who made this known on Tuesday at Alausa Ikeja during the 2021 African Traditional Medicine Day celebration in Lagos, also promised the provision of a state-of-the-art office infrastructure for the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, LSTMB, and the practitioners.

Represented at the event by the Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, the Governor said that his administration in addition to the provision of necessary infrastructure for LSTMB, will also invest in clinical trials, research works, evidence based healing process and publication of findings for the traditional medicine practitioners.

He emphasized that the same way modern day doctors are regulated, the Ministry of Health through its relevant agencies will be regulating traditional medicine in order to ensure that the practitioners are practicing sound alternative medicine.

He lamented the rate at which deforestation is affecting the entire South West of the State and Nigeria specifically, saying that the development is seriously posing threats to effective traditional medicine practice.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, however challenged the traditional medicine practitioners to rise up to the challenge and become advocates of reforestation of the Environment where there would be abundant herbs for traditional healing.

“You need to see yourself as a powerful voice that must be listened to. You should also speak out to this deforestation issue that is happening all around us. The loss of habitat where your natural herbs, roots can be found should be of great concern to you,” the Governor stated.

He cited Indian and China as some of the countries of the world that have been making deliberate steps to save their forest from deforestation as a strategy towards strengthening their traditional medicine practice.

He promised that the Ministry will provide needed guidance for the practitioners and also assist in protecting some of the medicinal plants and herbs that are currently disappearing due to deforestation.

The Ministry will help you in providing research facilities so that you can know the effectiveness of your various therapies, assist in translating the therapies into clinic trials and then obtain proof for the effectiveness of the therapies.

“We want you to do well, we want you to be comfortable, so that you can continue to provide the needed medical support to Lagosians. The truth is that the medical doctors that we have cannot cater for the health needs of all residents of this State, that is why we need traditional medicine practitioners to stand in gap and provide support to Lagosians who believe in traditional way of healing.”

While saying that the Ministry of Health has put Traditional Medicine on its priority list, the Commissioner urged the practitioners to play their parts by regulating themselves and ensure that their activities does constitute a danger to the society.

He said ” Don’t hesitate to expose unprofessional practitioners among you and ensure that you preserve the indigenous knowledge system being the major distinguishing factor between traditional medicine and the modern day medicine.

The Secretary to the State Government, Mrs. Folashade Jaji, in her Goodwill Message, said that the celebration will further reassure practitioners of traditional medicine that they are recognized by the State Government as major stakeholder in the provision of Healthcare to residents of the State.

She urged traditional practitioners to continue to work hand in hand with medical doctors in ensuring that all residents of this State remain healthy and have access to their choice of treatment either through traditional medicine or modern medicine

The Chairman of LSTMB, Prof. Adebukunola Adefule-Ositelu said that considering the activities of Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board in recent time, it is obvious that the leadership of the Ministry of Health through the Honourable Commissioner and especially the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu have the love of traditional medicine practitioners at heart.

She thanked the Governor for the due recognition accorded the traditional medicine practitioners since he assumed office, just as she affirmed that more attention is now being paid to traditional medicine within the last eighteen months than previous years.

The Registrar of LSTMB, Mr. Olorunkemi Kadiku, will continue to provide the enabling environment needed to unlock the inherent potentials in traditional medicine to the benefit of mankind.

“In this regard, our next steps include putting in place an enduring policy and regulatory frameworks, review of existing legal framework to derive from the policy, consolidate on the recently constituted research group by facilitating tailor-made researches based on our priorities in the State and continuous training programme for Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMP) to enhance their capacities.

According to him, over 9,000 Practitioners have benefited from our continuous training programmes initiated by the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, stressing that the training programmes had assisted in professionalizing traditional medicine practice and also in addressing quackery practitioners.

He pleaded with stakeholders to cooperate, collaborate and support each other in the various fields of traditional medicine and equally uphold high ethical standards in the discharge of their obligation to patients and mankind.

“We are at a point in our onerous journey in achieving parity and recognition accorded conventional healthcare practitioners and products, as such, all hands are needed on deck,” the Registrar stated.