Accra, Sept. 1, GNA - Ghana is considering the integration of herbal medicine into mainstream health delivery to reduce the cost of drugs' imports.

There is however, the need to re-examine its efficacy, toxic levels and ensure that dosages were appropriate for human consumption, Health Minister Dr George Sipa Yankey said on Tuesday He was inaugurating a 12-member Ghana Health Service (GHS) Council in Accra where members took the Official Oath and that of Secrecy. According to the Minister, a national fair would soon be opened to bring the use of herbal medicine into prominence noting that: "before the introduction of orthodox drugs, our forefathers relied on herbal medicines".

He called on the Council members to bring their expertise to bear on solving the numerous problems facing the health sector adding that the state of the country's health facilities made it imperative for more to be done for the sector.

The Health Minister mentioned the frequent strikes embarked upon by health professionals and hoped that strikes in the sector would be avoided.

The Council was tasked to help make government's vision of making Ghana a health hub in the Sub-region materialise, because it was government's intention to provide a health facility for every community with a maximum of 500 people to make health care accessible to all. Dr. Yankey noted with the emergence of H1N1 influenza and avian flu, the health of the people was under threat and thus government was stepping up surveillance to bring any emergence under control. He said it would have been disastrous if adequate preparation was not made in the handling of the H1N1 influenza adding that the eight cases recorded were imported hence surveillance at the country's entry points had been heightened.

Professor Joseph Commey, a Paediatrician and Chairman of the Council, thanked President Mills for the confidence reposed in them and pledged to make the health sector a better one. Other members of the Council are Prof. Isabella Quakyi, Prof. Reverend Ankra-Badu, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, Prof. Hector Addo and Prof. Jennifer Welbeck.

The rest are, Mrs Helen Mensah, Mrs Levina Owusu, Mrs Cynthia Asare Bediako, Dr. Elias Sory, Ms. Salamata Abdul-Salam and Rev. Richard Yeboah. 1 Sept. 09