Modern Traditional Medicine Practitioners of Nigeria (MTMPN), yesterday, said 80 percent of Nigerians patronise herbal medicine practitioners. They insisted it was important for the government to pass the National Traditional Medicine Bill to boost herbal medicine.
National President of MTMPN, Dr. Ibrahim Dada Nakowa, who said this in Abuja during a press briefing, claimed that the group has saved Nigerians with traditional medical care across Nigeria.
He said: “Nigerians are suffering from different sicknesses and we are the only solution for their problem by God’s grace. If you don’t have money, you can’t go to hospitals, but with little money, you can go for traditional
medicine for treatment.
“80 percent of Nigerians are patronising traditional herbs because of the affected medicine we discover. So, we want the Federal Government to help us and facilitate or implement a council so that we, the traditional medicine practitioners, will be promoted to facilitate our activities to boost Nigeria’s healthcare sector with our herbal medicine.”
In his remarks, the National Secretary General of MTMPN, Dr. Bamidele Fatoye, noted that the association has been working in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health to boost the healthcare system.
He called on governors and other stakeholders across the country to recognise traditional medicine practitioners in their states and give them the full support required.
Fatoye said: “The associations are also working endlessly in collaboration with the science and technology sister agency to make sure that practitioners are trained. We are to strategise. We are to make sure we put our method into a standard for assistance by population.
“Traditional medicine, as you are aware now, is fast taking over orthodox medicine because of the disappointment of the orthodox medicine. Traditional medicine is the endpoint of high disease.”
He urged the National Assembly to expedite the passage of the National Traditional Medicine bill, adding that the bill holds the key to boosting the country’s economy.
SOURCE: The Guardian
