Fifth African traditional medicine day celebrated

SOUTHERN PROVINCE HUYE—Rwanda joined the rest of the continent this week in commemorating the fifth annual African Traditional Medicine Day. Celebrations to mark the day were held at the Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (IRST) in Butare. Director general of IRST Jean Baptist Nduwayezu said that traditional medicine played a significant role in the welfare of a big number of people on the continent. “When used well, traditional medicine impacts positively on the health of the population and can uplift the economy of the country because it generates income like any other industry,” said Nduwayezu. He reiterated the Institutes’ commitment to work with other research institutions in the region and international organisations like the World Health Organisation (WHO) in promoting quality healthcare. Dr. Nsue-Milang, representative of the WHO said, “Since time immemorial traditional medicine has been used in the treatment of different health problems. Research conducted in Africa on the treatment of Malaria shows that many families resort to traditional Medicine in treatment of 60 per cent of strong cases.” He called upon participants to use the day in thinking about ways of perfecting the use of traditional Medicine, which remains the principal resort for the majority of the population. According to Dr Nsue-Milang 80 per cent of the population in Africa resorts to traditional medicine and Rwanda is no exception. He stressed though that heavy reliance on traditional medicine was still dogged by many issues including like the lack of coordination between institutions involved in field. The World Health Organisation, he said, was proud to associate itself with the Government of Rwanda in putting into place a programme to streamline the field of traditional medicine. He reiterated the organisation’s commitment to helping the government of Rwanda improve the quality of life of its citizens. The celebrations attracted traditional medicine practitioners, academicians and researchers who exchanged ideas on challenges facing traditional medicine today. The African Traditional Medicine Day was endorsed during a summit in Maputo, Mozambique in July 2003. Ends