Treatment of diseases:

Traditional Medicine still has its place – Dr. Fru

By Boris Esono in Buea

Dr Fru; Geniwa founding president

Today, about 80% of African population relies on Traditional Medicine (TM) for their basic health needs. Hence, the contribution of TM to the improvement of health care of the populations cannot be underestimated. It was against this back drop that the 14th edition of Traditional Medicine Day was organized in the South West Region, on 31 August 2016, at the Naturopathic Institute of West Africa (GENIWA), Buea.

       The event which saw the presence of the Executive Director of AFRICAphonie, Mwalimu George Ngwane had as central focus: “Regulation of Traditional Medicine Products in the Africa.”

      According to the Founding President of GENIWA, Dr. Richard Fru, Traditional Medicine is Africa’s Green Gold that will run tomorrow’s world and contribute enormously in the development of the African continent. He called on the government to give priority to Traditional Medicine as “it is our culture, way of life, pride and future.”

        Dr. Fru lamented on the gradual extinction of the forest, forest products and the inevitable disappearance of the age-old Traditional Medicine practitioners. According to Him, the government of Cameroon is not putting any noticeable effort in the promotion and regulation of Traditional Medicine. “There is no noticeable effort to promote and protect TM in Cameroon, Africa and the world,” he added.

       In his closing remarks, Dr. Fru called on government officials to come back to their senses and reason in line with the vision of WHO and patriotic African Leaders working in the interest of the Continent.

                A special call was also made to Traditional Health practitioners to mobilize, organize seminars and workshops to exhibit traditional products to the world.

However, preference is usually given to orthodox medicine sidelining traditional medicine which treats diseases that Western medicine cannot treat.

                According to Mwalimu George Ngwane, the more people talk about traditional medicine, the more they will sensitize the world that Traditional Medicines are just like the drugs produced by the West.

        31st August was chosen for the commemoration of African Traditional Medicine Day (ATMD) in the year 2000, when the African Health Ministers met and adopted the relevant resolution at the 50th session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.

                Yet, despite the ever growing need for the global community to promote TM, 31st August is commemorated rather timidly by governments and even tradi-practitioners.

Dr. Fru regrets that rather network to fight for their rights, trade-practitioners more often than not manifest mutual distrust rather than mutual respect and partnership.

 He posits that if Cameroon is serious about emergence by 2035, then there is need to also think seriously about the emergence of Traditional Medicine.

                “In as much as Western medicine is improving lives, we should bear in mind that not all diseases are treated with Western Medicine alone; some can only be treated with Traditional Medicines…… If medical doctors know the importance of Traditional medicine, then why is the government trying to suppress it in Cameroon,” Dr. Fru wondered aloud.