Accra, Dec. 28, GNA – The Ghana Association of Medical Herbalists (GAMH), in collaboration with the Society for Managing Initiatives and Leadership Enhancement on Wednesday called for advocacy action for complete integration of herbal medicine into the national healthcare delivery system.

The call was made with the support of management of the Business Sector Advocacy Challenge (BUSAC) Fund, in a release issued by the Public Affairs Directorate of GAMH copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

It described as worrying and unsatisfactory some challenges that beleaguered successful and complete integration of herbal medicine into the national healthcare delivery system.

Some of the challenges included financial clearance for medical herbalists, woeful under-resourced herbal medicine units in 17 selected government hospitals, delays in the finalisation of the operational manual on the practice of herbal medicine in Ghana and the absence of sensitization programmes for the heads of various heads of institution where the trained medical herbalists are sent.

Others included absence of a clearly defined road map for full integration of herbal medicine into mainstream healthcare delivery system and the absence of Centres of Excellence, Collaborating Centres for Research and Development of herbal medicines used for the treatment of priority diseases.

“GAMH wishes to use the action being supported by the BUSAC Fund to create a forum for stakeholders in the health sector to dialogue and harmonize all policies and programs on the integration of herbal medicine into the mainstream healthcare delivery system and draw up a comprehensive road map for this integration process that will be respected and honored by all stakeholders in Ghana’s health sector,” the release said.

It commended the Government for listening to the call by the Association to post into the Ghana Health Services structure, its members but stressed the postings marked one of several bold steps the Government needed to take towards achieving full integration of herbal medicine into national healthcare system.