First Lady RebeccaAkufo-Addo commissioning the Centre
First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo has called for greater integration of homeopathic and conventional medicine to enhance efficiency in medical treatments while making it more affordable to the ordinary person.
She said while alternative medicinal treatment like homeopathy died down, the numerous benefits directly linked with the practice has created a wave of interest.
The First Lady observed that even though alternative medicines consistently received some criticisms for being backward and sometimes unreliable, its proven efficacy at treating many medical conditions has compelled its garnering of more followers.
She made the remarks when she commissioned the new Nature’s Cure Centre, a division of impact Diagnostic Centre, in Accra.
Addressing guests at the short ceremony, she expressed optimism that with the establishment of the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Directorate at the Ministry of Health which provides guidance and direction for practice in Ghana, more Ghanaians would feel comfortable to resort to alternative medications and more health facilities would come on board to create an integrated health system with the strengths of both, conventional and alternative medicine.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo said “health facilities like LEKMA, Police Hospital, Komfo Anokye and La Polyclinic are already running pilot projects, incorporating alternative medicine with conventional medicine.”
She congratulated the management of Nature’s Cure Centre for their determination to enhance confidence in homeopathy as an alternative medicine, through responsible and professional practice, stating that it is in line with government’s objective to provide safe comprehensive health service to Ghanaians.
Group CEO of Impact Medical and Diagnostic Centre, Dashen opticians and Nature’s Cure, Aku Sika Bediako, said the facility is resourced with homeopathic specialists who have been in the practice for decades and so are conversant with the professional administering of homeopathy.
A Specialist in Hahnemann Homeopathy and founder of the first homeopathic clinic in Germany, Dr. Heinz Huber advocated for more practice of alternative medication, stating that in the absence of mechanical emergencies such as broken bones or displaced spine discs.
He said homeopathy was a better alternative medication as it has no side effects and is less expensive as well as healing-oriented.
Thus, “it is not only able to take away the pain and symptoms but also to cure chronic diseases such as migraine, arthritis, menstrual problems or depression sustainably,” he said.
Since there is no resistance for homeopathic treatment known, Dr. Huber encouraged patients and doctors to try it also in mild cases of malaria and even with cancer it had a supportive impact by improving pain management.
Dr Huber stressed the importance of using alternative medicine only in the hands of trained doctors and in combination with an extensive investigation in order to find the most effective treatment for the specific patient.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri & Sarah Platz