The Coordinating Director of the Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, LSTMB, Mr. Olorunkemi Kadiku has underscored the importance of training and certification of practitioners of traditional medicine, stressing that empirical analysis is now an integral part of traditional medicine practice rather than relying solely on hereditary knowledge.
He opined that if the practitioners are desirous of advancing the status of traditional medicine in the country to enviable heights, there is the dire need to learn new ways of practice that is in conformity with present-day demands.
Kadiku made the call recently at a sensitization session with traditional medicine practitioners comprising of faith healers, bonesetters and herb sellers among others within the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the State.
According to him, the sensitization session was in continuation of series of awareness and familiarization tour embarked upon by the Board some weeks ago to seek for a good working relationship between the State government and the traditional medicine practitioners across the State.
He disclosed that several unregistered traditional medicine outlets were sealed during enforcement tours by officials of the Board, stressing that efforts are ongoing to uncover other practitioners who are operating illegally or whose operations portend dangers to residents of the State.
While noting that all hands must be on deck to ensure that the practice of traditional medicine does not go into extinction in the country, Kadiku stated that Nigeria must start thinking of joining the league of countries in the world who are now offering Traditional Medicine as a course of study at the university level.
In his words, “Practitioners should begin to take pride in what they do while the younger generation too should start developing an interest in traditional medicine. We must begin to value what we have such that our practitioners will become a force to reckon with within the health sector globally”.
The Coordinating Director also stated that plans are underway to compile a Directory of registered practitioners in the State as a way of identifying certified and registered members in conformity with what is obtainable among practitioners of orthodox medicine.
He tasked the practitioners on documentation of healing processes for posterity, saying that some vital healing information had gone into extinction as a result of the death of some practitioners who were unable to document their knowledge before dying.
Kadiku added that the privilege of western education should be used as an advantage to sustain the practice of traditional medicine through proper documentation and record-keeping of viable healing information and processes.
Also speaking at the event, the Chairman Attestation Committee of LSTMB, Mobolanle Festus Olafisoye urged the practitioners to know their limit and always call for assistance whenever the need arises either from fellow traditional healers or certified medical doctors.
“The same way medical doctors do refer patients to their other professional colleagues anytime they realize that their expertise cannot handle the situation at hand, traditional medicine practitioners must also learn to stay only within their areas of expertise”, the Chairman reiterated.
He, therefore, advised practitioners within the Eti-Osa axis of the State to approach the Board and enrol for some training programmes, recertification and renewal of their licenses as may be deemed fit.
