Accra, July 2, GNA- A two-day meeting for the Committee of Traditional Medicine experts on Friday opened, to review the third draft of the West African Herbal Pharmacopoeia (WAHP).

The committee, made up members of the West African Health Organisation (WAHO), was to ensure the development of pharmacopoeia monographs, involving the compilation of herbal plant medicines and critically examine the list of plants for which toxicity testing would be required so as to authenticate their usage as required for various ailments.

In a speech read for him by Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Dankyira, Director, Human Resource, Ministry of Health (MOH), Dr. Benjamin Kunbour, Minister of Health said although the Ghana Pharmacopoeia and other documents had been developed, there were calls from stakeholders for more comprehensive standard specifications on herbal medicines. He said there was also the need for institutional quality control in production as well as improving packaging. Dr. Kunbour said that the development of pharmacopoeia monographs was the rational way of packaging concise scientific information to the health industry.

He said that such information could be useful in the setting of standards by the Food and Drugs Board, Ghana Standards Board (GSB), manufacturers, research and educational institutions and other regulators. "The documented information would assist in public education and also in maintaining the continuing pharmaco-vigilance and control of the emergence of counterfeits," he the Minister said.

Dr Kunbour commended the committee for its dedication towards the development of the first WAHP, which would be added to the list of existing orthodox medicines that were available for treatment of illnesses. He said that under its Programme of Work, the MOH intended to implement plans on the integration of traditional and complementary medicine that had been through continuing development on its programme under the health sector for over two decades.

"Plans were far advanced to implement the Concept of Integrating scientific medical herb practice into healthcare delivery, but which will depend on recommended medicines supplied from herbalists, herbal manufacturers and research institutions," The Minister said.

Dr. Kunbour said the integrative healthcare programme was expected not only to contribute to job creation, disease prevention and the well-being of the population, but also to increase access to quality herbal medicine services and products.

"The rich biodiversity of plants in the sub-region, the medicinal and economic benefit which are largely unexplored are potentials for plantation development and attraction to sustainable large scale production," he said. The Health Minister indicated that the Traditional Medicine Practice Council had been inaugurated to register practitioners and their practices, while the FDB and GSB had both stepped-up regulatory activities relating to safety of herbal medicines.

Dr. Kunbour said it was the vision of the Ministry of Health to ensure the acceleration of efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), through interventions such as the improvement of health infrastructure, safety of institutional care including infection and congestion control, access to safe free flowing water, the development and equitable distribution of human resources and also re-focusing of prevention of maternal and neo-natal mortalities and morbidities.

He pledged the MOH-Ghana's support to draw protocols for the institutionalisation of its herbal medicine practice. Dr Kofi Busia, Programmes Officer for Traditional Medicine, West African Health Organisation, called for the commitment and re-dedication of members towards the production of a document that would be worthy of their expertise in plant medicine research.

He said the "WAHO continues to see the development of the Herbal pharmacopoeia as one of its success stories and it would be a tragedy if we fail to deliver."