Freetown, Aug. 31, 07 (MOHS) - Sierra Leone on Friday August 31, 2007 joined other countries in Africa in commemorating the Fifth (5th ) African Traditional Medicine Day on the theme: “ Research and Development of Traditional Medicine in the World Health Organization (WHO) African region with a Workshop on Research and Development.
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| Health and Sanitation Minister Mrs. Abator Thomas delivering her speech. Extreme right, Alhaji Babara Turay SLENTHA Focal Point and extreme left, Dr. Fadhlu Deen Chairman for the Occasion. |
Organized by the Sierra Leone Traditional Healers Association (SLENTHA) in collaboration with WHO and the Ministry of Health and Sanitation at the National Council for Technical Vocational and other Academic Awards (NCTVA) Conference hall at Tower Hill in Freetown, the Keynote Speaker, Professor Isaac Palmer of the University of Sierra Leone Research and Development Bureau, noted that Researchers in the University can be Entrepreneurs if equipped with the appropriate facilities.
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| Alhaji Babara Turay Traditional Medicine Focal Point Making his presentation at the Scientific Session. |
Mr. Palmer told his audience that the university rose with the challenges to establish links with other institutions with a view to maintaining interaction and promote development.
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| The High Table: Keynote Speaker Prof. Isaac Palmer making his speech |
Dilating on the numerous challenges for a resourceful growth and development, the Keynote Speaker revealed that equipments for effective research in the university are minimal, adding that if what he referred to as competitive priorities are properly put in an enabling environment for Researchers, the desired goal for research would be achieved.
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| Mr. Wiltshire Johnson Making his Presentation on behalf of Pharmacy Board of Sierra Leone |
He said the Research Bureau could be instrumental in consultancy and baseline surveys as well as for the hiring of consultants.
Mr. Palmer said it is his fervent hope that stakeholders would be more innovative in forging ahead with the challenges of traditional medicine.
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| Dr. Fadhlu Deen Chairman Making his address |
Health and Sanitation Minister, Mrs. Abator Thomas told her audience that Sierra Leone now has a national policy on Traditional Medicine, and that there is ample provision for research and development in that document.
The government, Mrs. Thomas said, encourages research and development activities to facilitate the improvement of traditional medicine in Sierra Leone.
She observed that traditional medicine in the country is not systematically structured and regulated to allow the population to have the full benefits of traditional medicine, adding that preparations have also not been subjected to assessment of quality, safety, efficacy and affordability to guarantee rational use of the preparations.
Mrs. Thomas reiterated that issues of conservation, cultivation and preservation of medicinal plants of the country need to be considered along with the protection of the intellectual property rights and the benefits that may arise from the use of traditional medicine knowledge.
She said the policy on traditional medicine outlines key strategies that would ensure the development and appropriate utilization and regulation of traditional medicines, adding that the country has all the natural ingredients that constitute what she referred to as a “good research atmosphere.
Mrs. Thomas on behalf of government expressed appreciation to WHO for the technical and financial support and to all those who in diverse ways contributed to the success of the workshop.
The Focal Point for Traditional Medicine in the Ministry of Health and Sanitation, Alhaji Babara Turay, the Disease Prevention and Control Adviser at WHO, Dr. Francis Nylander, and the Chairman for the occasion, Alhaji Dr. Fadhlu Deen also made meaningful contributions in their statements.
