Traditional Medicine: Absence Of Safety Regulation As Biggest Challenge

As Nigeria and other African countries marked this year’s Traditional Medicine Day, the minister of state for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has called for the alignment of traditional medicine products and practices with established standards of quality, safety, and efficacy.

The minister, who stated this at the 2024 African Traditional Medicine Day celebration in Abuja, stressed the need for a robust regulatory framework to enhance the safety and effectiveness of traditional medicine in Nigeria.

He emphasised that while traditional medicine plays a crucial role in healthcare, especially in rural areas where up to 80.percent of the population relies on it, the absence of safety regulations remains a significant challenge.

Dr. Alausa stated that the theme of this year’s event “Support the Provision of Quality and Safe Traditional Medicine through Appropriate Regulatory Mechanisms ” underscores a crucial goal in the current efforts of the federal government through the ministry to enhance the health outcomes for all Nigerians, adding that “As we celebrate the invaluable contributions of Traditional Medicine, it is equally important to ensure that the practices are safe, effective and well-regulated.”

The minister noted  that traditional medicine in Nigeria is mostly a repository of knowledge and practice passed down from generation to generation , it is also used in preventing and eliminating physical, mental or social diseases, stressing that  Traditional Medicine has long been a part of our health system, especially for those in rural areas. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimated that it is used by about 80% of rural populace; some even as their primary form of healthcare.

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He described the  absence of traditional medicine safety regulation as the biggest challenge that is affecting the system not only in Nigeria but in Africa as a whole , adding that systematic collection and analysis of Traditional Medicine use safety data is crucial to protect the patients and the public.

While emphasising the important role play by Regulatory bodies and Research Institutes such as National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON ), National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Raw Material Research and Development Council and the Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency, he urged traditional medicine practitioners to utilize these agencies to improve their manufacturing practices with a view to producing better quality and safe products and improving acceptability.

Also, the director-general of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, Professor Martins Emeje, highlighted the importance of knowledge and called on the Traditional Medicine Practitioners to modernise the system and share ideas among themselves.