Tanchara, (UWR), Jan. 5, GNA - The Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD), is to set up a pilot inter-cultural health clinic, to test the therapeutic effects of some traditional medicine. The research is aimed at integrating herbal and orthodox medicine at the clinic to treat patients.

Mr. Bernard Y. Guri, Executive Director of CIKOD, made this known at the weekend, when he inaugurated a Community Based Health Planning and Services compound at Tanchara, in the Lawra District of the Upper West Region.

He appealed to the Ministry of Health (MOH) and other stakeholders to collaborate with CIKOD to make the project a success in 2011, to serve the vision of incorporating it into the country's health delivery service. Mr. Guri said African traditional medicines were very potent and called on the MOH, to carry out research and identify the best ones and integrate them with western medicines for treatment especially at the rural areas. He noted that at Tanchara, there are more than 20 medicine homes, where the traditional medical practitioners are able to treat health threatening problems like bone fracture, malaria, snake bites, convulsion, boils, piles, and malnutrition.

Mr. Guri urged Ghanaians to strive to make maximum use of all their internal traditional resources as basis for development. He said such resources should be integrated into modern technologies to enhance the wellbeing of the citizenry and enhance environmental protection. 5 Jan. 10