The Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Yahaya, on Tuesday urged Committee of Chief Medical Directors in Nigeria on acceptance of traditional medicines, saying that they have the potentialities to cure ailments, without huge economic burdens to patients.
Yahaya who was represented by Deputy Governor Dr Manassah Jatau, made this call while declaring open the 106th regular meeting of Committee of Chief Medical Directors ongoing in Gombe State.
Our correspondent reports that CMD of Federal Teaching Hospital Dr Yusuf Abdullahi, is the host in Gombe State.
The governor decried the cost of antibiotics, and other pills required for treatment, adding that that the effect could be mitigated by patronising traditionally-made drugs.
“I advice that you liaise with pharmacists to produce drugs locally anything short of this will leave people dying because they can’t afford imported medicines.
“If we don’t come back to look at our plants and use them; if we are depending on imported drugs, my brothers we can’t afford it.
“Drugs that we buy for N7,000 is now N15,000, Augmentin that goes for N4,000 is now N22,000 and we are not yet there. Liaise with other partners produce drugs from our leaves, whatever medicine that is from abroad it’s the same plant here,” Yahaya said.
Speaking virtually, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare Professor Muhammad Pate, notes that the current administration has prioritised health of citizens.
Pate said, “President Bola Tinubu is committed to transforming Nigeria’s health system to improve the quality of services, support health workforce and ensure affordability of services through expanding health insurance.”
He lamented the challenges of irregular electricity supply to health facilities, “the issue of power, which is the number one, two and three of your challenges. We are looking at how to make it easier to run, please bear with us and continue doing the good work you are doing,” Pate added.
Explaining the importance of the Committee’s meeting, Dr Yahaya Baba, Medical Director Federal Medical Centre Keffi, who is the acting Chairman Committee of Chief Medical Directors noted that it was geared towards reviewing colleague’s performance in order to adopt best practices.
He said, “When you have good manpower provided for citizens, when you have improvement in patients attention it’s for the good of the citizens. We do peer revenue, and learn from each other. We are here to learn from his achievements”
On the call for traditional medicine, Baba said, “African medicine is not esoteric. It’s just that in this committee we work with what we can prove scientifically; while we are not against African medicine only those that have accepted scientific basis that we can use that’s what we were trained for.”
On the issue of power as a challenge impeding tertiary health institutions nationwide, “it’s one of the greatest maladies affecting the health system. Almost every Hospital you know today we commit about 30 to 40 per cent to getting power. It’s not all the problem but the greatest.”
On his part, Chief Medical Director Federal Teaching Hospital Gombe Dr Yusuf Abdullahi expressed happiness following the large turnout of his colleagues at the 106th meeting.
He said, “I feel honoured and great to see my colleagues from across the country who came to see what we are doing in order to improve the medical practice in the country.
“The people of Gombe State should expect hybrid performance as they obtain treatment from FTH.”
PERISCOPE NIGERIA reports that the highlight of the opening ceremony was the presentation of plaques by National Association of Resident Doctors to FTH Gombe CMD and Governor Yahaya.
