The Lagos State Government (LASG) has asked traditional medicine stakeholders to enhance the research efforts and boost the practice across the state.
Prince Babatunde Adele, Registrar of the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, says that fusing technology into traditional medicine will also help to establish proper documentation practices to align with global standards for the well-being of the people.
Similarly, Adefulire-Ositelu encourages members to leverage their expertise in traditional medicine to promote healing and well-being. She highlights the effectiveness of traditional medicine by recounting how the Traditional Medicine Board successfully collaborated to develop solutions using local resources like miracle leaf and chilli pepper to combat the spread of COVID-19, preventing further transmission among community members.
Professor Mrs. Adebukunola Adefulire-Ositelu, former Chairman, Lagos Traditional Medicine Board.
Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board: African traditional medicine has gone global
Adele made the call at the 2024 African Traditional Medicine Day celebrated at the Onikan Youth Centre in Lagos, with the theme “Traditional Medicine: Research and Development.” The event was attended by Professor Mrs. Adebukunola Adefulire-Ositelu, former Chairman, Lagos Traditional Medicine Board, along with various government officials, healthcare professionals, and other stakeholders in the traditional medicine sector across the state.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) sees traditional medicine “is the sum total of the knowledge, skill, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement or treatment of physical and mental illness.”
During his opening remarks, the Adele emphasises the importance of individual and collective dedication to advancing traditional medicine as a primary avenue for safeguarding and enhancing global health, in accordance with the World Health Organisation Declaration of 1978 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
“Permit me to state that there is nothing that traditional medicine cannot cure, but let me at this juncture advise stakeholders in traditional medicine to, as a matter of priority, embrace technology by improving their research, further develop and cultivate proper documentation of their works, because the African Traditional Medicine has gone global,” Registrar of the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board says.
According to Adele, “there is no doubt that with individual and collective commitments, traditional medicine would become the only major avenue for achieving the protection and promotion of the health of all people of the World as encapsulated in the World Health Organization declaration of 1978 and various components of the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).”
Similarly, Adefulire-Ositelu encourages members to leverage their expertise in traditional medicine to promote healing and well-being. She highlights the effectiveness of traditional medicine by recounting how the Traditional Medicine Board successfully collaborated to develop solutions using local resources like miracle leaf and chilli pepper to combat the spread of COVID-19, preventing further transmission among community members.
During his keynote address at the event, Mr. Hakeem Bello, the Deputy Director of Research, Training, and Development at the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, underscores the crucial role that traditional medicine plays in global health. According to him, traditional medicine provides accessible and affordable healthcare options for underserved populations, while also complementing conventional medicine.
On his part, Baba Awishe Odufuwa, the Chairman of Lagos State Traditional Medicine Practitioners, appeals to members to embrace technological advancements and emphasises the importance of unity within the profession. According to him, collaboration and solidarity among practitioners will help to elevate the traditional medicine profession to new heights.
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