From Richard Owusu-Akyaw.
The Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (COTVET) has organised training for herbal medicine practitioners, drawn from the Greater Accra, Eastern and Brong Ahafo regions.
Dr. Kofi Annan, Head of Herbal Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), disclosed that the training, under COTVET’s Skills Development Fund, was to enhance quality herbal product manufacturing entrepreneurship for improved productivity and competitiveness.
He said 10 accredited herbalists were selected from each of the three regions for the training. According to him, the continuous training of the practitioners was crucial, because most of them, after learning the practice through apprenticeship, did not upgrade their knowledge.
Dr. Kwame Dwamena, Chief Executive Officer of the Nkawkaw-based multiple award winner, Dwamena Herbal Center, a beneficiary of the training, outlined the areas of training to include cultivation, propagation, storage and conservation of herbal medicines, as well as the adverse and toxic reactions of such medicines.
He called on the government to help accredit the herbal hospitals with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) for more patronage. Dr. Dwamena said even though the government had started collaborating with about 19 herbal centers in some hospitals in Ghana, there was the need to do more to close the vast gap between herbal and orthodox medicine.
The renowned herbalist indicated that following a series of training programmes, there had been marked improvement in the manufacturing, storage and dispensation of herbal medicines, resulting in tremendous changes.
He said, until recently, herbal medicine was not stored in bottles and other containers, and called on colleague practitioners to diagnose patients before prescribing drugs.
