Rivers
Group Seeks Traditional Medicine Hospital Establishment In Rivers
A group under the aegis of the Modern Traditional Medicine Practitioners of Nigeria (MTMPN), Rivers State Branch, has called on the state government to build a designated traditional medicine hospital in the state.
They said this will enable the state government actualise full realisation of its healthcare service delivery programmes and maximize the potentials of its members in the state’s health sector.
The State Chairman of the MTMPN, Eze Stanley Munoye Ogbu, made the call after the group’s general meeting in Port Harcourt, weekend, noting that the modern traditional medicine practitioners in the state are ready to partner with the government to contribute their own quota towards the development of the health sector.
Eze Ogbu, who is a member of the Rivers state government approved Board of Traditional Complimentary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM), urged members to choose area of specialisations and not be jack of all trade, while also exhibiting a high sense of professionalism in their practice, and conducting their operations in a clean environment.
The Onye Ishi Agwuru of Okehi Kingdom in Etche Local Government Area of the state hinted that a committee has been set up by the TCAM Board to clamp down on unlicensed practitioners and use the opportunity to call on the state government to invest in traditional medicine to boost revenue and create jobs.
Also speaking, the Chairman of MTMPN, Obio/Akpor LGA Chapter, Dr. Dede Temple Owhadah, said the association is training members on modern practices in order to improve their efficiency in the treatment of patients across the state.
He called on herbal and traditional medicine practitioners in the state to get trained and be educated in their areas of specialisation to remain relevance in the practice
Owhadah warned that the taskforce will go after unlicensed practitioners after the training period and urged governments at all levels to work with the registered professionals in their domain to flush out unqualified practitioners and to tap into the profession’s human resources to improve the healthcare delivery system in the state.
He stressed that members of the group are celebrated researchers who have manufactured certified drugs as cures for various diseases and ailments.
“What we are doing is that we are training and educating our members to improve on their proficiency and modern practices they desire to operate with. After this, we are going to come after those unqualified practitioners and clampdown on them across the entire state.
“Whether you are selling herbal medicine in the street, bone setters, or using any form of herbs and alternative medicine to treat people, we are going to shut such areas down without any recognised government approval at the end of the training session”, he stated
On her own. Dr. Gorgeous Chinyere Adichie commended the group for the education and training of their members to update them with the needed professional experience in the practice.
By: Akujobi Amadi