Role of traditional medicine promoted in African healthcare

By Edith Mutethya in Nairobi, Kenya |

chinadaily.com.cn |

Health experts across Africa are calling for the integration of African traditional medicine into national primary healthcare systems, arguing that doing so could significantly improve access to care and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage.

The renewed push comes as the African Union's medicines agency commits to supporting and coordinating continent-wide efforts to regulate, research and mainstream traditional medicine within formal health systems.

Delese Mimi Darko, director general of the African Medicines Agency, said integrating traditional medicine into national health systems requires balancing regulation with respect for indigenous knowledge systems that have existed for centuries.