Traditional medicine in practice
Traditional or herbal medicine is considered a necessary part of broader treatment for many in Ghana. According to the WHO, 70% of the country’s population “depends exclusively on traditional medicine for their health care.”
At the last count, the WHO estimated around 100,000 traditional medicine practitioners (including spiritual healers) nationwide. According to the WHO, this makes them widely available to the public and “the backbone of the health care delivery system.” Traditional practitioners outnumber modern doctors by 30 to 1.
Traditional medicine has a long history in Ghana and the world. While this knowledge is typically in the hands of ‘spiritual healers,’ most families nationwide have some knowledge of it. This knowledge is inherited and generally passed down through the generations via oral tradition. To give you some perspective, doctors in the UK are the official practitioners of modern medicine, but many families have a basic understanding of first aid.
People’s views on health are shaped by their cultural and ideological beliefs, no matter where they are. Most people in Ghana fully accept modern, science-based medicine, but traditional medicine is still highly regarded, as it validates the overall health experience.
A place for modern medicine?
Of course, as with many other imports from the developed world, science-based or ‘allopathic’ medicine is gaining ground in Ghana. Missionaries introduced modern medicine to the country in the late 1800s, and after Ghana gained independence in 1957, its government began promoting it as the country’s official medical system.
While the 1800s may seem like a long time ago, in the broader context of time, it is not. Despite the rapid importation and development of modern practices, a hidden battle is being fought to preserve Ghana’s medicinal traditions.
As most people still use traditional medicine, it’s not particularly obvious, but the numbers are in decline, and many people have begun to notice.
The increase in the number of institutions that practice modern medicine has even encouraged some groups to establish small independent herbal medicine hospitals and clinics across the country.
Can the two practices coexist?
Most recently, Ghanaian governments have publicly made a concerted effort to recognise traditional herbal medicinal practices, including osteopathy, hydropathy, acupuncture, and homoeopathy.
Given modern medicine’s centuries-old scientific history, what footing does traditional medicine have to stand on? If these age-old practices are to be preserved successfully, advocacy groups must find a way to help them fit into the existing scientific paradigm.
Of course, a number of issues may prevent such integration. Ghana has historically viewed ailments in a truly holistic sense, even going beyond the physical. The spiritual and supernatural are also often considered the root causes of issues for which modern medicine would provide scientific answers.
Genuine efforts are being made by government and non-governmental bodies to ease the integration process. The country has come far in terms of making connections between traditional herbal practices and modern scientific medicine. Alongside the introduction of a herbal medicine BSc at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology’s College of Health Sciences, the prescription of herbal preparations in some hospitals and clinics is also underway.
Moving forward
The Ministry of Health’s website states that its objectives are to “[...] ensure effective development and integration of Traditional and Alternative Medicine as a distinctive medical practice system within the National Health Care System.”
This is a very public acceptance of traditional practices, but it is, first and foremost, a government commitment to the future of both forms of medicine.
Much more recently, the governing body for the Centre for Plant Medicine Research in Accra was established in Accra.
According to a recent government press release, the board has been tasked with overseeing research into plant-based remedies to " promote, encourage, extend, transfer and apply scientific research knowledge and development in the field of plant medicine.”
As Ghana continues to develop, it seems there is not only room for traditional medicine, but the government is actively encouraging research to usher the practice through this transitional stage.
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