WANTED A Law for the Establishment of Traditional Medical Council

Recent health sector indices have shown that we as a people have not made much progress in spite of the constant talk about “moving the nation forward”. The infant mortality rate is still on the rise. As much as 23 per cent of children born do not get to live beyond age five. This, in plain terms, means that 230 out of every 1000 innocent babies die within their first five years of life. At the same time, the average life expectancy has reduced by two years from 51 to 49. This means that for the average Nigerian, rather than life beginning at 40 as the popular saying goes, 40 has become the age to start serious preparation for the great transition. The curious aspect of the trend is that we seem to have accepted this as a norm. Or how else can you explain the increasing glee and fanfare with which we celebrate the death of young people these days! You need to see the glamorous 'obituary' and 'transition' adverts for people under 50 in the papers!
But the frightening statistics do not seem to bother the health authorities and the government in the least. Top government officials, ranging from the president, ministers and senators to state governors, commissioners, members of Houses of Assembly and even chairmen of local government councils, have all found a way to insulate themselves and their families from the dismal statistics. They go abroad for medical check-ups and treatment. That is their solution to the problem of inadequate and poorly equipped hospitals and clinics in the country. As far as they are concerned, anyone who cannot afford to go abroad for medical treatment deserves to die.
Nigerians have, however, chosen not to succumb to such cheap death. Since the majority of them do not have the means to go overseas for treatment they are beginning to look inward for solution. They are increasingly turning to the ways of their great-grand-fathers. After all, some of them never saw the inside of a hospital yet they lived up to 100 years! Many of the few ones that came in contact with orthodox medicine never went beyond taking the old APC (it's an old brand of aspirin). They relied mainly on the herbs and roots of plants around them for remedies to their ailments. The Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency, NNMDA, acknowledged this trend in its bulletin where it traced medical trends from ancient times. Titled “Evolutionary History of Medicine”, it states:
· 2000 B.C.  Here eat this root.
· 1000 A.D.  That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
· 1850 A.D.  That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
· 1920 A.D.  That potion is snake oil. Here swallow this pill.
· 1945 A.D.  That pill is ineffective. Here, take this penicillin.
· 1955 A.D.  Oops….bugs mutated. Here, take this tetracycline.
· 1960-1999  39 more “oops”….Take this more powerful antimicrobial
· 2000 A.D.  The bugs have won! Here, eat this root.
Roots and herbs! That is precisely the point where we are, not only in Nigeria but in most parts of the world. The World Health Organisation, WHO, reflected this in its report where it states that 70 per cent of Nigerians rely on traditional healers for their health needs. The Federal Government apparently recognized the trend and tried to key in to it by establishing the NNMDA which is silently working on developing Nigerian traditional medicine products from herbs found in all parts of the country.
But the government ought to have gone further than that by now for two reasons. First, traditional, natural or alternative medicine (whichever you choose) is a multi-billion dollar business. Other countries like China and India are reaping bountifully from it. Second, Nigeria is richly endowed in terms of human and material resources in this area. There is no village in this country where medicinal herbs and those who know how to apply them are not found. One of the gaps existing in tapping into this huge resource base either for our own health needs or for its huge economic potential is the absence of a regulatory/ professional body for traditional medicine practitioners. There is a Bill for the establishment of a traditional medical council before the National Assembly. It has been there since 2005. Almost three full years down the road, the bill has not moved much up the ladder of the legislative process on its way to becoming a law.
The traditional medical council being proposed by the law could serve as a good resource base for the work the NNMDA is doing. It could also regulate on the quality of service the about 70 per cent of Nigerians who rely on traditional healers could get. I think the Bill deserves more serious attention than it is getting from the lawmakers. Even if they themselves belong to the 30 per cent elite class that do not patronize traditional healers, I think they owe it a duty to the majority of Nigerians who do to expedite action on the Bill. That is what democracy is all about  the rule of the majority. Or what do you think?