Retired nurse appeals to FDB to arrest fake herbal medicine peddlers

Mr Francis Nyamekye, a retired nurse of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, has appealed to the Foods and Drugs Board (FDB), to monitor and arrest fake herbal drug peddlers in the country.

He said there are fake and fictitious herbal drugs on the market, which were worsening the health of the people, “so the health authorities should do something about it immediately”.

Mr Nyamekye, who made the call at a forum with traditional healers and the people of Akuapem-Aseseeso, in the Eastern Region, said there are a number of herbal drugs being peddled all over the country, which they claimed could cure all kinds of ailments.

He said herbal medicine must be seen to be augmenting the orthodox ones to improve the healthcare of the people, but not to kill them.

He urged that the drugs and the peddlers should be screened to identify the genuine and licensed ones, to bring some sanity into the healthcare system, to ensure the safety of the citizenry.

The pensioner advised that the FDB personnel should not only be seen working in the regional and the district capitals, but should also go to every corner of the country to help track down on the nefarious activities of the herbal drug producers and sellers.

“Many people have died earlier than they are supposed and others have been bed-ridden because of the use of fake drugs,” Mr Nyamekye noted, adding that, the situation was very serious and dangerous and that action should be taken to kick out the bad ones to help save lives.

He said all those who would be arrested selling fictitious or fake drugs, must be prosecuted at the law courts to serve as a deterrent to others.

He appealed to the health authorities to consider attaching good and well-known traditional healers to the country’s big hospitals, such as the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the Military Hospital and the Komfo Anokye Hospital, to work hand-in-hand with the medical doctors.

Mr Nyamekye also urged the banks to consider offering the traditional healers, loans to expand and enhance their operations to enable them to accommodate sick people, whose ailments could not be cured medically.

He said this would go a long way in helping to treat some of the sicknesses and diseases, which were being sent outside for medical attention.

Source: GNA