FG and the new Department of Traditional Medicine

IN a daring and surprising move, the Federal Government recently announced the creation of a Department of Traditional Medicine in the Ministry of Health to initiate and conduct research into the discovery and application of traditional medicines. Hitherto, traditional medicine was discussed only in hushed tones within the government circles, except in Lagos State which actually has a board regulating its practices in the state. The board was once headed by an orthodox medical practitioner who was also trained in traditional medicine. The Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, himself a medical doctor, announced the approval of the new department, which is expected to cause a stir in orthodox medical practice,  after the conclusion of a recent Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja. According to the minister, the first assignment of the department would be to conduct researches that would lead to the discovery of a cure for malaria in Nigeria’s forests.

For quite a while, the practitioners of orthodox and traditional medicines have needlessly held each other in mutual suspicion in the country and that, arguably, stalled  the advancements that could have been achieved in both areas had collaboration held sway. The approval of a new Department of Traditional Medicine in the Federal Ministry of Health is therefore an official recognition of the practice, an acceptance long overdue. The step is commendable, especially as the country had to wait for 58 years since its independence before being bold enough to assert its well-known potentials in herbal and traditional medicine. In many of the countries of Asia, herbal medicines and traditional cures have become so developed and compliant with international standards that they have become excellent sources of foreign exchange.

Besides, the global trend in medicine is seeking prophylaxes to ailments through natural herbs, as recently evidenced by a research conducted by the University of Texas in the United States into the various potentials of bitter leaf, from which an American company has already embarked on the production of capsules. The creation and endorsement of a Department of Traditional Medicine in the Federal Ministry of Health should help Nigeria to  contribute positively to this global trend of sourcing natural medical prophylaxes for humanity. That can surely be a source of many other advantages. But this new status of traditional medicine has to be managed properly by the Ministry of Health.

It is obvious from the department’s first assignment, namely to look for natural remedies for malaria, that the fundamental area of study in that department is pharmacognosy. This is an area of utmost relevance from which the rich potentials of Nigeria’s forests can benefit the international community. Fortunately, the new department will be working from a vantage position of ample resources, and the country does not have to incur  heavy expenses in order to reach recommendable breakthroughs for many health problems. This will alter its fortunes internationally.

Whatever discoveries are made by this department will give recognition and prestige to Nigeria. It will also enhance health security for the country which has had to depend largely on imported drugs. The money being spent daily on imported drugs is huge and there is also the question of some reported negative effects on users. The concern of the department may be malaria for now, as directed by the Minister of Health, but it is by no means limited to it. Other health challenges ought to follow, including remedies for coughs, particularly as codeine-based syrups have reportedly wreaked havoc on the country’s youth population.

This may be the moment to seek and discover alternatives to dangerous synthetic drugs with avoidable, deleterious side effects. The country is endowed with many natural herbs that can propel the new department into series of positive activities that may result in breakthroughs in the health sector. The creation of the Department of Traditional Medicine in the Ministry of Health will improve the impact of the ministry on the country’s health sector if it is properly managed.