By Francis Francis
The Registrar of Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board (LSTMB), Mr. Olorunkemi Kadiku has said that the practice of traditional medicine is evolving from what it used to be to a more regulated and better-coordinated practice.
Kadiku expressed this view while featuring on the Lagos Traffic Radio programme: “Your Side Mirror”, hosted by Victor Oteri.
Kadiku stated that many people look at traditional medicine from the primitive point of view where the practice was mainly dominated by uneducated and unexposed individuals, revealing that present-day traditional medicine has evolved to the extent that both traditional medicine practitioners and conventional medicine practitioners meet periodically to share knowledge and experiences.
According to him, “One of the evolutions of traditional medicine practice, is the use of NLS analysers and other diagnostic equipment to subject patients to test, analyse their symptoms and reveal the outcome of their findings before administering treatment”.
The Registrar also corrected the misconception that traditional medicine lacks measurement in form of dosages and prescriptions, saying that most traditional medicines now take the form of capsules and liquids with clear prescriptions and measurements for patients.
Kadiku, who revealed that the number of people that use traditional medicine has been on a progressive increase over the years globally, also affirmed the potency of traditional medicine and its wide acceptability.
He disclosed that Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, under the administration of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu, has enjoyed tremendous support that the Board had not witnessed since its over 40 years of establishment.
The Registrar stated that the Governor and the Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi are firm believers in traditional medicine practice and have been demonstrating their support to the practitioners through friendly policies and provision of a conducive atmosphere for traditional medicine practice.
Kadiku further disclosed that the number of registered practitioners with LSTMB has increased to over 10,600 comprising Traditional Birth Attendants, Bone Setters and Faith Healers, among others, stressing that the Board is not resting on its oars to encourage more practitioners to register with the government.
Speaking on the regulatory roles of the Board, the Registrar informed that the botanical and herbal sellers popularly known as ‘Alagbos’ now have an attestation and accreditation process in place through which the Board trains them and issue them licenses.
