Health Ministry moves to integrate traditional medicine into mainstream healthcare

The Deputy Minister for Health, Prof. Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, has called for greater integration of scientifically validated traditional medicine into Ghana’s mainstream healthcare system.

She said traditional medicine, when properly researched, regulated and manufactured to approved standards, could play a significant role in expanding access to safe and quality healthcare.

Prof. Ayensu-Danquah made the call when she visited the Centre of Awareness (COA) Research and Manufacturing Company in the Central Region, where she engaged management and staff and inspected the company’s facilities to assess its compliance with Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP).

She said Ghana could learn from countries such as China, where traditional and conventional medicine are used alongside each other to complement healthcare delivery.

According to her, closer collaboration between the two sectors could help improve healthcare outcomes while ensuring that traditional medicines used by the public meet the required standards for safety, quality and effectiveness.

Prof. Ayensu-Danquah said the government’s Free Primary Healthcare programme, which places emphasis on preventive and promotive healthcare, also presented an opportunity to examine how traditional medicine could contribute to the delivery of primary healthcare.

She identified non-communicable diseases, including hypertension and diabetes, as areas where traditional medicine could potentially contribute, subject to scientific validation and appropriate regulation.

The CEO of COA Manufacturing Company, Prof. (HC) Samuel Ato Duncan, welcomed the government’s efforts to develop the traditional medicine sector to a standard that would enable it to complement national healthcare programmes, including the Free Primary Healthcare initiative.

He said the company was undertaking research into the potential health benefits of some of its products, including their possible applications in the management of cancer and viral diseases.

Prof. Duncan stressed the importance of continued research and collaboration between traditional medicine practitioners, researchers and government institutions in unlocking the potential of the sector.

He said such collaboration could help strengthen the evidence base for traditional medicines and enable the sector to make a greater contribution to healthcare delivery in Ghana.

Prof. Ayensu-Danquah said the Ministry of Health would continue to work with relevant stakeholders to strengthen research, quality assurance, manufacturing and regulation within the traditional medicine sector.

She said the broader objective was to create a healthcare system in which traditional and conventional medicine could complement each other safely, based on scientific evidence and appropriate regulatory standards.

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