The nexus between health and development, both at the national and individual levels, is essential especially as it offers the foundation for people to actualize their potential and well-being. Access to healthcare spans across various avenues globally, ranging from conventional medical professionals to practitioners of traditional and alternative medicine. Yet, as early as 1978, the World Health Organization recognized the limitations of solely relying on modern medicine to address the increasingly complex health challenges worldwide. Consequently, it acknowledged the significance of indigenous and alternative health practices among its member states.
Since then, there has been a discernible shift towards amalgamating traditional and modern healthcare paradigms, notably evident in countries like China, India, Cuba, and Japan and other African countries. While some African nations, such as Ghana, Tanzania, and Mali, have embarked on integration efforts, Nigeria has initiated the development of its traditional medicine practices.
However, integrating these practices into the mainstream healthcare system faces multifaceted hurdles, including standardization issues, secrecy surrounding traditional methods, resistance from orthodox medical practitioners and policymakers, informal training structures, inadequate documentation, substandard product handling practices, insufficient government backing, and a negative public perception, among other challenges.
Research underscores the successful development of traditional medical systems in countries like China, Cuba, and India. Notably, Ghana has been piloting the integration of herbal medicine in 17 public hospitals since 2011, indicative of a burgeoning trend towards embracing alternative healthcare modalities.
The integration of traditional and modern healthcare practices in Nigeria holds significant importance, especially considering that the World Health Organization has estimated that over 80% of the global population, including Nigeria, utilize herbal medicines for their healthcare needs. There is a pressing need to effectively blend African traditional medicine with orthodox medicine, as such integration would greatly benefit both the sick and humanity at large. Natural products such as plants, animals, microorganisms, and marine organisms have been utilized in medicine since ancient times to alleviate and treat diseases.
Traditional medicine has a longstanding presence in Nigeria, predating the colonial era, where it served the health needs of the population. However, the advent of colonialism brought about restrictions and impediments for traditional medicine with the introduction of Western medicine. Modern medicine often falls short in providing lasting cures, merely alleviating symptoms temporarily, with the symptoms recurring once the treatment is discontinued. Integrating modern and traditional health practices would shift medical philosophy towards a more synergized, individualized, and holistic approach to treatment.
In Nigeria, modern medicine holds official recognition, while traditional medicine is typically only tolerated. Despite both systems aiming to maintain health and treat ailments, their principles, methods, and origins differ. Consequently, the coexistence of these health systems has led to antagonism, animosity, and strained relationships among practitioners, to the detriment of the populace.
Traditional medicine includes the collective knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to various cultures, utilized for maintaining health and treating physical and mental illnesses. Traditional healers, recognized within their communities, employ plant, animal, and mineral substances, as well as other methods based on social, cultural, and religious practices.
African traditional medicine emerges as a cultural response to managing illnesses and promoting health. In Nigeria, traditional healers are known by various names such as Babalawo, Adahunse, or Oniseegun among the Yorubas, Abiaibok among the Ibibio community, Dibia among the Igbos, and Boka among the Hausas, among others.
The State of Traditional Medicine in Nigeria
Since 1966, the Nigerian Federal Government has been actively engaged in reforming and advancing traditional medicine for its integration into the broader healthcare system. This commitment was evident in the 1988 National Health Policy and the establishment of the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) in 1997, tasked with fostering the growth and utilization of traditional medicine across the country. Significant strides have been made in this field, particularly through the research and advocacy efforts of the NNMDA.
Consequently, numerous herbal products have been approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), demonstrating their competitiveness with foreign counterparts. For instance, Pax Herbal Clinic & Research Laboratories in Ewu, Edo state, offers over 35 listed herbal products. Additionally, Solamin, developed by Esoma Herbals in Abuja, has been recognized as the premier treatment for sickle cell anemia in Nigeria and worldwide. Moreover, more than twelve Nigerian states, including Lagos, Ondo, Ebonyi, Bauchi, Delta, and Edo, have established functional boards responsible for registering and regulating traditional medicine practices and practitioners within their jurisdictions.
Globally, there has been a notable uptick in the utilization of traditional medicine due to its comprehensive approach, cost-effectiveness, and perceived minimal side effects. This surge has prompted the World Health Organization to initiate various efforts and resolutions aimed at harnessing the abundant potential of traditional medicine and integrating it into mainstream healthcare systems. The international markets for traditional medicine products are thriving, particularly in Europe and North America, which jointly represent approximately 63% of the global market share in this sector. Assessing the monetary value of herbal, medicinal, and aromatic plant (HMAP) products in Nigeria is challenging due to the market’s youth, emergence, and small scale.
Ginger and African black pepper (known as “uziza” in Igbo) stand out as major Nigerian spices in the international market, while others are primarily consumed domestically. Despite Africa’s extensive herbal traditions, diverse plant life, and the fact that around 80% of Africans rely on traditional medicines for their healthcare needs, the global impact of research, development, and marketing of traditional medicines on the continent remains relatively insignificant.
Integration of Modern and Traditional Health Practices in Nigeria
Integration involves the process of assimilating traditional medicine into the established healthcare delivery framework. This encompasses incorporating traditional practices, techniques, and knowledge into the mainstream healthcare system of a country, as well as exposing practitioners from both systems to the philosophies and theories of each system. The aim is to offer effective preventive and curative treatments for all individuals in the population.
There are two recognized forms of integration observed in developing nations:
- Integration of both systems into officially recognized health services, coupled with training for healthcare practitioners to acquire knowledge about both systems. For instance, this integration model is practiced in China.
- Parallel practice of both systems with independent training of practitioners at recognized institutions across all levels. Under this approach, individuals have the option to consult practitioners from either medical tradition. This form is exemplified by India’s healthcare system.
Other forms of integration which are currently being practiced in the country though informally include:
1. Institutional Integration
This involves mutual learning between traditional medicine practitioners and medical doctors, fostering a harmonious coexistence. It also contributes to an increase in the number of practitioners, thereby expanding healthcare coverage for the population.
2. Consumer-driven Integration
It refers to clients transitioning between different health systems or utilizing multiple systems concurrently, often influenced by factors such as cost, beliefs, familiarity, past experiences, and social connections.
3. Integration through Adaptation
This entails incorporating modern medical tools and practices, such as telephones, business cards, reception areas, consulting rooms, white coats, computers, and diagnostic equipment like thermometers, stethoscopes, and X-rays. This adaptation is particularly observed among practitioners who have received training in aspects of modern medical sciences.
4. Cognitive Integration
It involves traditional medicine practitioners and medical doctors exchanging knowledge and skills through workshops, seminars, or by integrating traditional medicine into the curriculum of medical schools and other healthcare training institutions.
Factors that will Encourage Successful Integration
In order for integration to be successful, it is essential to take into account the following factors:
- Readiness of practitioners to collaborate effectively.
- Adequate supervision of medical practices.
- Effective training of medical personnel to coexist harmoniously.
- National acknowledgment of both traditional and scientific medicine as equally valid methods of treatment.
- Implementation of appropriate regulatory policies to oversee the integration of medical treatments.
- Elimination of misconceptions about traditional medicine in the pursuit of development, and vice versa.
