The Minister for Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, Ms Ummy Mwalimu.
DESPITE the government’s decision to ban any advertisement on herbal and alternative medicine in the mainstream media or social media networks, it appears that practitioners have blatantly defied that order.
Earlier this year, the Minister for
Community Development, Gender, Children and Elders, Ms Ummy Mwalimu,
banned public advertisements of herbal medicine through the media
without approval from the Alternative Health Practitioners Council of
Tanzania (AHPCT), until further notice.
Since then, there hasn’t been any fresh
directive issued so far. Accordingly, the ministry also banned any form
of education on herbal clinics through the media or public rallies,
underlining that no traditional healer would be allowed to use any media
without official approval.
However, the ‘Daily News’ is aware that
almost all local television stations have been carrying advertisements
of such nature and the ministry has chosen to keep mum although the ban
has yet to be lifted.
Asked if the ministry had rescinded its
decision, Deputy Minister for Community Development, Gender, Children
and Elders, Dr Hamis Kigwangalla told the ‘Daily News’ that the
directive was issued by the minister and that anything concerning the
issue should be directed to her.
“Because the minister is there it is
better you ask her on whether the decision was changed or if the
practitioners have defied that order -- as of now I am outside the
country and I have no additional details,’’ he said.
When contacted, Ms Mwalimu said she had
realised that there was a weakness in the implementation of the
government order by the AHPCT.
“I have directed the council to furnish
me with a report by June 30 because we directed that all adverts should
receive a nod from the council but some practitioners have been airing
adverts that have no permission from the council,’’ she said.
The minister added that it seemed the
council has failed to monitor the advertisements efficiently. “The
government will react after receiving the report at the end of this
month,’’ she promised.
In an Interview with the ‘Daily News’,
AHPCT Assistant Director, Dr Paul Mahame, said there wasn’t any ban
concerning advertisements so far.
“What I know is that the government
directed herbal and alternative medicine practitioners to follow
requisite legal procedures. So far, there is not any ban that was issued
apart from the directive on how they should discharge their duties,’’
he told the ‘Daily News’.
In the minister’s directive, herbalists
and traditional medicine practitioners were given two weeks to submit
their permits to the National Council for Traditional and Alternative
Medicine for a review.
The Acting Permanent Secretary (PS) in
the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Children and
Elders, Mr Michael John, said in a statement that the move aimed at
improving the provision of traditional medicine.
The statement quoted the PS as directing
AHPCT within 14 days to review the business permits and documents of
ownership of medical kits used by the herbalists and traditional
practitioners for diagnosis.
He explained that the directive aims at
ensuring that herbalists and traditional medicine practitioners provide
the public with traditional and alternative medicine services in
accordance to regulations, policy and guidelines set by the ministry.
The PS pointed out that the provision of
traditional and alternative medicine service was facing many challenges
and that some traditional and alternative medicine clinics were
operating illegally.
Mr Michael mentioned other challenges as
provision of drugs that are not registered by the authorities
responsible for traditional medicine and advertising the drugs without
complying with regulations and guidelines governing them.
The move aimed at stamping out quacks making easy money as practitioners of traditional medicine
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