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Nigeria yet to harness herbal medicine – UNIMED VC

By Sade Adewale, Ondo

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The Vice-Chancellor, University of Medical Sciences (UNIMED), Ondo, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi said Nigeria is yet to harness the potential of herbal medicine.

He said Nigeria must be deliberate in her efforts to promote herbal medicine, noting that the potential of herbs can make a difference in the country’s health sector.

Fatusi made the remarks at a one-day symposium tagged: ‘Herbal Medicine: The past, the present and the future,’ organized by the Center for Herbal Medicine and Drug Development of the University in Ondo.

He said: ‘We have not harnessed our God-given heritage in the areas of herbs and what our forefathers have done, but UNIMED is beginning to turn around the story and this moment is that golden moment.

“This workshop opens up that opportunity for us to crystalize our vision and bring the Nigerian nation to understand the power of science merged with the power of herbs, making the whole difference not only to health but also the economy.”

He said the dream of the university to start a Bachelor’s degree programme in herbal medicine was halted by the lack of the National Universities Commission (NUC) Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard (BMAS) now known as Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standard (CCMAS) for the programme”, Fatusi stated.

He said the institution is working with NUC and other stakeholders to get an approved CCMAS to kick-start the programme.

The Keynote Speaker, Director of the Center for Research and Development, Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA), Prof. Ganiyu Oboh, said the practice of herbal medicine has been the oldest form of healthcare and human being has been surviving in nature to feed, treat and  prevent illness.

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“The future of herbal medicine is inevitable integration into modern medical practice and it can only be achieved when there is proper collaboration between government and all the actors involved in healthcare delivery,” he said.

Oboh noted that strict monitoring and implementation of regulatory guidelines to curb the undue proliferation of natural products, use, and sales of herbal remedies must be put in place.

The Dean, School of Public Health, UNIMED, Ondo, Prof. Wasiu Adebimpe, while delivering a paper tagged: ‘Public Health Concerns and Agenda for Integrating Herbal Medicine into the National Health System,’ harped on the need for the integration of herbal and modern medicine.

The Director, Office of Strategy and Programme Management, UNIMED, Ondo, Prof. Adeduro Adegeye in the last part of the symposium spoke on the ‘economics of herbal medicine’.

He noted that countries like China and India thrive economically because of herbal medicine, saying Nigeria has been endowed with lots of herbs that can improve the country’s economic output.

Earlier, the Acting Director, Centre for Herbal Medicine and Drug Development, UNIMED, Ondo, Dr Babawale Olatunji in his welcome address stated that the vision of the centre is to be a study centre that serves as a reference centre and a standard place for studying traditional medicine in Nigeria.

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Nigeria yet to harness herbal medicine – UNIMED VC

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