The Ministry of Environment and Forestry in collaboration with the UNDP and the National University of Lesotho’s Department of Biology hosted a delayed commemoration of the African Traditional Medicine Day in Maseru on Wednesday.
The day, intended to raise awareness about the significant role traditional medicine plays in enhancing the health and well-being being of people, was declared and adopted in August 31, 2002 by the World Health Organization.
The use of some traditional herbs during the COVID-19 pandemic are relatable examples that underscore the continued reliance on and value of traditional medicine, a practice that has long lived and continues to save lives of many communities, especially in rural areas where traditional medicine remains the most accessible and affordable health-care option, demonstrating its importance to millions of Africans.
This event was graced with the presence of many traditional healers from different corners of Lesotho who emphasized how their work in the medical field is often overlooked whenever discussions related to health issues are held.
Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Project Manager, Lebone Molahlehi, said they have discovered that even though some traditional healers are well informed on how to make medicine out of natural herbs, a large number of them fail to preserve the very same plants they use for future purposes.
Rasemoko Polile, a researcher from the NUL Innovation Hub reiterated that majority of traditional healers only come into the field with the hope of enriching themselves, adding that this mentality is one of the key factors that results in harming the environment by pushing some plants to the risk of extinction.
Though he acknowledged their woe of being overlooked, he reckoned this is caused by the fact that healers do not have registered unions or councils that cam help them create a much audible and credible voice. He said this makes them oblivious to platforms that could help penetrate markets much easier.
Polile said another key challenge was caused by traditional healers themselves who do not follow proper protocol to have their products medically tested and cleared in labs , saying this poses challenges not just in the marketing arena but in prescribing intake measurements and prescription to patients as well.
He said documentation of medicine performance in patients plays an important role too as it helps identify what the medicine cures or can be used to prevent too.
Polile made all informal healers in the southern region of Africa aware that an estimated M2.5 billion is still accessible for them to legally set up their shops and get verified.
The Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Maphakamile Xingwana, encouraged traditional healers to invest their time in researching what they need to do to be recognised, respected, trusted and penetrate the market.
She said their presence and participation was the first step, further recommending more meetings to discuss ways on how to penetrate the industry legally and not meeting in annual event like this one.
The event brought together key stakeholders in traditional and complementary medicine, with participants including Western Medical and Traditional Health Practitioners, Herbalists, bio-traders, Naturopaths, Homeopaths, Phytotherapists and representatives from Government ministries, the Lesotho National Commission for UNESCO, NGOs and Civil Society.
This event aims to create a platform to recognise the importance of traditional medicine and indigenous knowledge, promote the safe and effective use of traditional medicine through appropriate regulation of products, practices, and practitioners and create awareness on the conservation and sustainable use of medicinal plants, which are increasingly threatened by over-harvesting and uncontrolled use.
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