In a bid to minimize expenditure on imported medicine, increase employment and improve access to quality herbal medicine, traditional health practitioners dealing in complementary medicine from herbs have called on Government through Ministry of Health and other stakeholder to consider partnering with them through the new bill currently in parliament.
Addressing the press on the status of traditional medicine and herbal practitioners in Uganda today at an event held in Kakiri, The Executive Director of Save the Rural Out of Poverty (SROP) International, Sam Ssegirinya said that there has been limited recognition of the contribution made by Uganda’s traditional health practitioners to primary health care which he says was undermined during the colonial era.
He adds that because of the various benefits herbal medicine have had to a large percentage of Ugandans, it’s important for stakeholders including health workers, development workers, private sector and government to promote the production of quality herbal medicine.
“There is need for Ministry of Health to opt for a public-private partnership in which traditional health practitioners would be recognized as private partners through a new policy on traditional and complementary medicine drafted to regulate the practice to focus on research and development,” Ssegirinya said.
He revealed that SROP through their initiative known as Organic Network, they have built capacity of their members to promote organic food, which he says is free from chemical applications.
He noted that by June 2020, they will have unveiled a new machine to detect the chemical content in various food stuffs including beans, maize and others. He said this is aimed at reducing the disease burden caused by chemicals in food.
The Chairman, Uganda Herbalists and Cultural Association, Jamil Lutakome advised farmers to minimize applying chemical drugs in farms which he says affects the quality and can cause diseases.
He pledged his support in promoting herbal medical and strengthen coordination of various stakeholders. He urged government to support research on herbal medicine and register them to distinguish genuine and fake herbal practitioners.
By Drake Nyamugabwa
