80 Percent Of Nigerians Prefer Traditional Medicine To Any Other Form Of Health Care – FG

The Federal Government has come out to say that 80 per cent of Nigerians use traditional medicine as a primary form of health care.

The Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Tunji Alausa recently revealed this to the press, and Nigerians have been reacting.

According to him, traditional medicine has indeed made an invaluable contribution to the health and well-being of most Nigerians, and that fact is proof that we must keep recognizing and harnessing the rich heritage of African traditional medicine.

He added that studies have shown that traditional medicine use in Nigeria is currently as high as 81.6 per cent.

His words, “It is on record that Nigeria has been observing the ATM Day for the past two decades with activities for awareness creation and promotion of appropriate use and practice of traditional medicine in the country. With about 80 per cent of the rural population using traditional medicine as a primary form of health care, traditional medicine has made an invaluable contribution to the health and well-being for all.

This year’s theme encapsulates the essence of our commitment to recognizing and harnessing the rich heritage of African traditional medicine. Today, as we celebrate, we must acknowledge the role of traditional medicine in our lives and its connection to our holistic health and well-being.

Studies have shown that traditional medicine use in Nigeria is as high as 81.6 per cent, and this is not expected to be on the decline in the near future, especially in the face of the predicted increase in the global burden of diseases.

The healthcare plan will also focus on encouraging and improving funding for local research of new drugs and vaccines. It is a well-established fact that many medicines have their origin from herbal medicine which is a form of traditional medicine.

Our approach to optimising the strengths of our traditional medicine will also focus on favourable policies, institutional and political support, our rich biodiversity, qualitative data, scientific research, and the use of innovation to optimise the contribution of traditional medicine to UHC and sustainable development, and will also be guided by respect for our indigenous resources and intellectual property rights.”