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Koforidua, Sept. 3, GNA - The Traditional and Alternative Medicine (TAM) Directorate of the Ministry of Health, has developed a National Policy and Strategic Plan to promote the comprehensive integration of the traditional medical practice into the public health delivery system. Under the plan, the Directorate would undertake the registration of practitioners of Traditional and Alternative Medicine, produce curricula and training manuals and draw up a code of ethics.

The Acting Director of the TAM Directorate, Mr Peter Arhin announced this at a forum at Koforidua on Tuesday. The forum formed part of the celebration of the First African Medicine Day and the Fourth Traditional Medicine Week.

He said the Plan, which was Ghana's response to the declaration of the African Union's Decade of Traditional Medicine of 2001-2010, also provided for the formation of a Patent Aid Board and foreign and local consultancies on the acquisition of Intellectual Property Rights for TAM practitioners.

Mr Arhin said a research foundation would be set up to co-ordinate research activity, streamline procedure for testing of herbal products and encourage out-grower schemes for the cultivation of medicinal plants.

He announced that a documentation and database of Traditional Medicine Practitioners and their products would be undertaken to facilitate the monitoring and enforcement of a legal and regulatory framework.

The Registrar of the Traditional Medical Practitioners Council (TMPC), Mr Hunua Kpogo Akakpo, speaking on the regulatory framework guarding the industry, explained that the need for regulation was, among other things, to provide standards, check against quackery and sale of uncertified products.

He said the framework provided for standards for premises, training, practice, registration and licensing of practitioners to promote public confidence and quality service in the system.

Mr Akakpo appealed to the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine (CSRPM) at Mampong-Akwapim to reduce its testing fee of 500,000 cedis to encourage more practitioners to refer their products there to enhance the production of quality products.

Contributors called on the CSRPM and the Food and Drugs Board to make their services affordable and less cumbersome to improve their products to enable the country to take advantage of foreign demands for their products. 03 Sept. 03