Accra, July 24, GNA - Ministry of Health (MOH) has called for collective redefining of a new niche and repositioning of plant medical herbal practice in the country.

"Huge opportunities exist for us to use the untapped skills in the face of the woefully unmet expectations of the client constitute the platform for refocusing on a new business model for herbal practice," it added.

The call was made in a speech read on behalf of the Minister of Health, Dr Benjamin Kumbour, at the launch of Natural Health Exhibition workshop in Accra on Friday to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Capital O2 Health Company, a local herbal medicine provider.

He said trained herbal medicine practitioners should embrace the idea of training in herbal medicine, customer orientation and accessibility to clients as vital to their core business of herbal medicine supply and assisting clients in their quality use through counseling, education and support.

"This would provide a good fit with the emerging business philosophy that would be driven by client need, professional satisfaction, business rewards and better relationships with other care providers," he added.

This initiative the Sector Minister said would enable herbal medicine practitioners to exercise their full potential and to create a historic recognition of the value of the medical herbal practitioners.

Mr Alexander Asum-Ahensah, Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, in a speech read for him, said the time had come for researchers and practitioners to assist in promoting quality improvement and rational use of traditional medicine services to sustain the interest and high patronage by the people.

He urged them to find ways to standardize and regulate the practice to promote its acceptance as credible health care delivery system since it would enhance the institutionalisation of plant medicine services.

Mr Asum-Ahensah assured herbal medicine practitioners of the Ministry's strong collaboration with all stakeholders in this endeavour.

Mr John Daniel Otoo, Managing Director of Capital O2 expressed regret that traditional medicine had been neglected and rather embraced orthodox medicine without exploring the possibility of merging the two systems.

He acknowledged the fact that herbal medicine worked effectively better than orthodox medicine, adding "what is needed is to gather all the knowledge available on herbal medicine, develop it and try to regulate the practice and production of herbal medicine".

Mr Otoo said Ghanaians should be able to combine the advances made in the fields of orthodox medicine and modern diagnostic techniques with the knowledge of herbal medicine in order to derive the maximum benefit from both.

He urged government to consider efforts of developing herbal medicine not only for local consumption but for export as countries like China and India had done and succeeded.