National Assembly: Health minister defends bill to reorganise practice of traditional medicines.

According to the member of government, the proposed law seeks to bring structure, oversight, and recognition to a long-standing yet often marginalised healthcare sector.

Speaking during the debate, Minister Manouda noted that the order will have regional branches aligned with the country's diverse anthropological map, thus bringing order in the vast sector which has seen many branches emerged.

“The overall aim is to ensure the protection of people’s health, traditional medicine, and the healthcare system,” Minister Manaouda said, adding that by formalising the practice, the government seeks to balance respect for cultural heritage with the need for public health safety.

According to observers, the draft law, if passed, will serve as the foundation for organising traditional medicine in the country. The National Order of Traditional Practitioners, sources say, like the other orders already existing in the country, will oversee the profession, ensuring standards and ethical practices are upheld. 

The order, we gathered, will witness the establishment of traditional medicine centres in every district. These centres, we learned, will act as hubs for identifying and grouping practitioners, who often operate in isolation. 

The centres, it is reported, will also process applications for the right to practice traditional medicine, which will be reviewed at the regional level and approved by the Ministry of Public Health.

The initiative aims to address the risks posed by unregulated healers, who sometimes endanger lives through questionable practices as such the order will have the authority to impose sanctions on practitioners found to be unprofessional. 

Move response to past calls 

The move to formalise traditional medicine, according to many, dates back to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which showed the limitations of modern medicine, thereby prompting calls for alternative solutions. 

The President of the National Assembly, Cavaye Yeguie Djibril, was among those who advocated the development of traditional medicine.

“The COVID-19 epidemic, with its devastating and far-reaching effects, revealed the limits of modern medicine and the need for endogenous solutions,” Cavaye had stated during a parliamentary session in June 2020. 

He called for an end to the stigmatisation and marginalisation of traditional medicine, urging a shift in perspective.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3305 of Friday November 29, 2024