Chief says herbalists be involved in HIV/AIDS fight

Ho, Nov 17, GNA - A traditional ruler on Monday appealed health authorities to refrain from under-valuing contributions herbalists could make to the national crusade against the spread of HIV/AIDS. Togbe Debrah VI, Paramount Chief of the Logba Traditional Area in the Volta Region, expressed regret that the government's recognition of traditional medicine by opening a Directorate for it at the Ghana Health Service (GHS) had not reflected in its co-ordination with herbalists on the issue of HIV/AIDS

Togbe Debrah was speaking at a workshop on HIV/AIDS organised by the Attorney General's Department for its staff in the Southern Sector under the theme: "To Change Others We Many Have To Change Ourselves First." He said while countries where herbalist have no representation in the bureaucracy involve herbalists in their fight against the pandemic, it took the Ghanaian authorities a long time to recognise the claim of herbalists since 1999 that they had drugs of some efficacy to handle some opportunist infections of HIV/AIDS.

Togbe Debra said herbalists in the country, put together have access to more Ghanaians than orthodox practitioners and must be factored in all strategies to fight HIV/AIDS.

Sixty people, including workers from the Security Services, Revenue Agencies, Civil Service Chiefs and Queen Mothers are attending the workshop. Miss Sophia Akuffo, a Deputy Attorney General and Minister of Justice, said the issue of HIV/AIDS is so serious that ''it can never be said to have been sufficiently discussed."

She conceded that despite government's efforts to tackle the pandemic, the prevalent rate of infection keeps rising. Togbega Gabusu VI, President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, in an address read on his behalf, said that henceforth, 10 minutes during all traditional festivals in the region would be devoted to education on HIV/AIDS.

The Workshop for the Northern Sector would be held in Kumasi in two weeks.