Prof. Martins Emeje, Director-General, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), says traditional and herbal medicine remains the only way to achieve Universal Health Coverage in Nigeria.
Emeje, an expert in Drug Delivery and Nanomedicine, said this on Tuesday while delivering a keynote address at the Herbal Medicine Conference at Chrisland University, Abeokuta.
The theme of the conference is: “Traditional and Herbal Medicine: Challenges and Prospects for Translational Research”.
Emeje noted that healthcare could only be made available to all Nigerians when they are exposed to medicines they are already used to.
He added that attention should be shifted away from foreign medicine, as it has not achieved much in recent times.
“It is no rocket science that the best way to make health available to everybody is to use that which the people are already used to.
“It is a simple emotional intelligence, if we wish to attain universal health coverage in Nigeria,” he said.
According to Emeje, Translational Research is a multi-step process for turning observation in the laboratory into interventions that improves the lives of humans.
He listed some benefits of translational research on traditional/herbal medicine to include medicine security, protection of public health and foreign exchange earner among others.
He, however, lamented that a few factors bemoaning the translational research include scientific validation, quality control and cultural sensitivity.
He said it was wrong for any regulator to use foreign parameters to regulate Nigerians and the medicines produced in Nigeria.
“Nigeria should close its ears to criticism from the West if it must succeed in herbal medicine.
“If all our focus still remains on foreign medicines, nothing will change. China is already taking over the world in Ayurvedic medical practice,” he said.
On integrating herbal medicine with its orthodox counterpart, Emeje said, “Right now, what we want is for our medicines to coexist as there are no indications that, that would happen soon.”
Earlier in her welcome address, the Vice Chancellor, Chrisland University, Prof. Chinedum Babalola, submitted that the healthcare system was plagued with the issue of access to quality assured medicines which are essential to health.
She added that it was imperative to address strategies on improving access to efficacious and quality assured herbal medicines.
She expressed confidence that at the end of the conference, a policy document would be developed to hasten the translation of herbal remedies into healthcare system the country.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC), Prof. Augustine Onyeaghala, noted that the importance of traditional and herbal medicine could not be overstated.
He stated that medical and natural therapies have continued to play a vital role in the healthcare system across Africa.
He noted that the demand for solutions to public health challenges keeps increasing, hence the need to bridge traditional healing practices with evidence-based medical science.
“The theme of this conference reflects our shared commitment to advancing the integration of traditional medicine with modern science.
“It also underscores the need for robust research, regulation and translation of herbal medicines and indigenous knowledge into therapeutic solutions that can meet global health challenges,” he said. (NAN)
Traditional medicine panacea to achieving universal health coverage- Expert
