By Reginald Oloko
Imo state government has been urged to establish a Board of Traditional Medicine Practice in the state Ministry of Health for the enhancement of the practice in the state.
Imo state chairman of the Common Wealth Natural/ Herbal Medicine Practitioners, Dr. Nnaoma Victor Oha made the urge in his office at Owerri recently.
Oha, one of the Directors of Destiny Herbal Centre said creation of board of traditional medicine practice would bring about sanity in the practice as well as checkmate quackery and other unprofessional practices.
While decrying the uncontrollable height of unprofessional conducts among the practitioners in the state he pointed out that the practice in states like Lagos, Ebonyi and Anambra has been regulated urging for establishment of the board in imo state ministry of health oversee the practice.
In his words,”I have been pushing for the creation of the board since I arrived the state from Lagos with help of some other stakeholders. With the creation of the board as obtainable in Lagos, Ebonyi and Anambra states the issuance of annual license and operational certificates and data collection among the practitioners will regularly maintained
He further noted that there was no crack in the ranks of members of Nigerian Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association in the state even as he disclosed the challenges facing the organisation as absence of functional regulatory body, no appointment of Special Adviser to the governor on traditional medicine practice, illiteracy and no presence laboratory for research among others.
