The exclusion of herbal medicine under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is said to be denying many Ghanaians access to herbal therapy.

Many patients at the Koforidua Regional Hospital who wanted to access herbal treatment withdrew when they learned that they had to pay for the drugs because they were not covered by the NHIS.

Ms Diana Assan, Medical Herbalist of the Koforidua Regional Hospital, who told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Koforidua on Friday explained that, currently the NHIS covered consultation and other investigations but not the herbal drugs. The herbal drugs are relatively cheaper.

Ms Assan however, expressed the hope that soon the NHIS would be extended to cover herbal drugs to enable many people to access herbal treatment at the hospital.

She said the herbal unit, which was integrated into the formal medical system of the Koforidua Regional Hospital in June this year, treats all diseases except emergency and surgical issues.

Ms Assan said gradually many patients were opting for herbal treatment and expressed the hope that if the herbal drugs were covered by the NHIS, more people would opt for that.**