POLITICAL PARTY LEADERS CHALLENGED TO DECLARE STANCE ON HERBAL MEDICINE

A gospel musician who describes who describes herself as ‘the Made-In-Ghana Ambassador’, Emelia Arthur has
challenged all political parties contesting the 7 th December 2024 elections to come out with their policies on
traditional herbal medicines in the country.
The Ace gospel musician said herbal medicine practitioners have huge number of members apart from their input in
the economy of Ghana, but none of the presidential candidates vying for the December election has been able to
come out with policies that would benefit herbal industry.
This was contained in a press release dated 18 TH November, 2024 by made-in-Ghana Ambassador, Emelia Arthur.
Ms. Arthur, who is also the host of The Ghanaian Kitchen, a cooking show on TV XYZ, threw this challenge to the
various flagbearers in December election on the show on Sunday, November 17, 2024.
The Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM) has over 40,600 as 1999
when a census was done on their number.
The figure is likely to quadrupled because no census has been done for the past 25-years.
This means that, the number of voters these GHAFTRAM carries into the December election is huge because all the
over 40,600 members have families of two or three who are voters.
The Electoral Commission (EC) cleared 13 candidates for the 2024 presidential election on Saturday, December 7,
2024.
They are Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia of the New Patriotic Party, John Dramani Mahama of the National Democratic
Congress, Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen who is an Independent Candidate and Christian Kwabena Andrews of
the Ghana Union Movement.
The rest were Daniel Augustus Lartey Jnr of the Great Consolidated Popular Party, George Twum-Barima-Adu who
is an Independent Candidate, Nana Kwame Bediako, also an Independent Candidate and the late Akua Donkor of
the Ghana Freedom Party.
Others were Hassan Abdulai Ayariga of All People's Congress, Kofi Akpaloo of Liberal Party of Ghana,
Mohammed Frimpong of the National Democratic Party, Nana Akosua Frimpomaa of the Convention People's Party
and Kofi Koranteng who is also an Independent Candidate.
Ms. Arthur said the National Health Insurance (NHIS) did not help herbal medicine practitioners because they are
being marginalized.
“We have some hospitals who uses herbal medicine as a cure in some 55-government hospitals in the country, but
even with the NHIS, the patients who would opt for the herbal medicine must again purchase the herbal medicine
but those who opt for the orthodox medicines do not pay for the medicines”, she explained.
She said the government must be able to purchase the herbal medicines and keep them at these government hospitals
in order for them to be given free as part of the NHIS when they go to these hospitals.
Ms. Arthur urged for policies that would cushion them in their businesses to boast the local economy.