Traditional, Complementary and Natural Health Resources (TCAM) stakeholders in Nigeria have called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to convert the current Department of Traditional Complementary and Alternative Medicines of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare into an independent ministry.
They made the call on Sunday in a statement issued at the end of their South-South region conference on the movement for the creation of the ministry, held in Benin, Edo State.
The statement, jointly endorsed by Professor Adedamola Bank Kadejo (Coordinator), Professor Joseph Akpile (TCAM South-South Leader), Professor Baba Ejiga, Professor Anastasia Ndidiamaka and Dr James Iwowarri, acknowledged Tinubu’s innovative reforms such as the creation of the Ministry of Blue Economy and others.
They stated that countries like India and others in the East had institutionalized TCAM ministries and were willing to contribute significantly to their respective economies, adding that Nigeria had enough benefits from the strategic move as the proposed Ministry would generate revenue and create employment opportunities.
The statement addressed to President Tinubu reads in part: “We, the stakeholders of the Conference on Traditional, Complementary and Natural Health Resources (TCAM), respectfully call for the creation of an independent Ministry of Traditional, Complementary and Natural Health Resources Development, separate from the current Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.
“His visionary leadership has brought innovative reforms in all sectors, such as the creation of the Ministry of Blue Economy, the Ministry of Livestock and the Ministry of Regional Development. These noble initiatives are already yielding positive results.
“In the same sprint, we seek your support to establish a dedicated ministry that gives TCAM the attention, regulation and development it deserves.
“Globally, countries like India and others in the East have institutionalized TCAM ministries, contributing significantly to their economy, healthcare delivery and foreign exchange earnings. Nigeria will benefit greatly from this strategic move.”
According to them, the proposed ministry will also promote advanced research in TCAM and complement the existing health system, regulate and standardize the practice of TCAM, coordinate the activities of TCAM agencies at national and sub-national levels, provide affordable and accessible alternative healthcare, promote collaboration between conventional doctors and TCAM professionals and enhance Nigena’s foreign exchange earnings through the export of herbal medicines.
They noted that the supervisory and collaborating agencies of the proposed ministry will include: TCAM Council, Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Federal Universities Colleges of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency, National Biotechnology Centre, Abuja.
Others include the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, the Proposed Federal Traditional and Integrative Medical Centers and the Proposed National Institute for Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medical Research, as well as the proposed TCAM Health Farm.
“The accommodation of this vital sector under the Ministry of Health has not yielded the desired results. A dedicated ministry will reposition TCAM for optimal contribution to national health and economic development,” the organization concluded.
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