The Ghana United Nations Association (GUNA) has urged the government to give herbal medicine practitioners in the country the chance to find a cure for the COVID-19 disease.

The Association says it has listened to cogent arguments by several traditional herbal practitioners on the radio and television on the efficacy of some plant species to cure the virus.

“In his latest article in The Chronicle, titled 'Hibiscus Tea for immune support and antiviral agent', Ghana's Dr Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, President of the Nyarkotey School of Natural Medicine, a renowned health article writer whose works have gone even outside the shores of Ghana, points out a simple proven scientific fact that the Hibiscus plant is an antiviral agent. Ginger, among other natural plant species, has also been mentioned by other practitioners as having the potency to fight any form of virus.

“Collecting all these arguments by our herbal/traditional/natural medicine practitioners, GUNA believes that, like Madagascar, the Government of Ghana must give these home-grown natural doctors the opportunity to bring their knowledge to the fore in the fight and race for a lasting cure for the dreaded Coronavirus,” GUNA said in a statement.

According to GUNA, Madagascar’s zero death and 92 recoveries out of the 128 recorded cases of COVID-19, “is due to the country permitting its natural doctors to come out with the 'Madagascar Organic Pack'”.

“This is the best opportunity for us as a country and government to believe in our own, give them the chance and GUNA can confidently say that if Madagascar has been able to do it, why can't Ghana? The cure for the Coronavirus can be found and Africa is the cure,” GUNA’s statement stated.

The group said the government of Ghana must be brave to assemble all herbal medicine practitioners and challenge them to find a cure to COVID-19.

Ghana has so far recorded 2,169 COVID-19 cases with 18 deaths and 229 recoveries.