The Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board has opened a ‘NatureCanFixYou’ Alternative Medicine Specialist Clinic in the Omole area of the State, just as it called for collaboration with orthodox practitioners to deepen the practice of traditional medicine.
The Chairman of Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, Prof (Mrs.) Adebukunola Adefule-Ositelu, made the call at the opening ceremony of the Clinic located at 51, Adeyemo Akapo Street, Omole Estate, Phase I, lkeja, Lagos on Tuesday.
She said that collaboration between the conventional and traditional medicine practitioners, continuous research by traditionalists and effective regulations by the government are needed to move traditional medicine forward in Nigeria.
In her words: “We need good collaboration to exist between the government, traditional and conventional medicine so that we can move forward and deliver a very good health service to our people. We, traditional medicine practitioners, also need to do research, because that is the only way we can be promoted and widely received in addition to submitting ourselves to necessary regulations that would further enhance our practice”.
Mrs. Adefule-Ositelu expressed sadness that many Nigerians use traditional medicine but would not come out boldly to let others know they use it, noting that about 70 to 80 per cent of Nigerians consult traditional medicine practitioners for various ailments and regularly use herbal drinks (Agbo) as medication.
She said, “Many people are using agbo for various ailments but are not bold enough to let others know. Traditional medicine is what our forefathers and mothers used to take care of themselves and they were fine before conventional medicine came to be. Now that the conventional medicine is here, it is unfortunate that it has changed our minds and made us lose faith in our forefathers’ style of treatment”.
“God had endowed us in this continent and our traditional medicine practice is the envy of the whole world today. Let’s encourage ourselves and make good use of what God has given us. We are all doing the work of the Almighty God”, she added.
She congratulated the Managing Director of the Clinic, Mrs. Abisola Kadiku, saying the facility will be of great contribution to the development of traditional medicine in the State and country at large.
The Registrar, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, Mr. Olorunkemi Kadiku, said the opening of the Clinic is in line with the mandate of the Federal Government, noting that ‘NatureCanFixYou’ Alternative Medicine Specialist Clinic is the second complementary and alternative medicine outfit that has been opened by the State government.
According to him, traditional medicine is very effective and has been in existence for thousands of years, stressing that conventional medicine does not have the solution to all ailments, hence the need for alternative medicine which comes as an option for treatment of any ailment.
He pointed out that Lagos State has been proactive in embracing alternative medicine in the country and emphasised the need for practitioners to organise themselves in a more formidable manner.
“Some of the conventional medical facilities cannot beat our own facility. Our facilities are world-class and highly competitive. I am proud that this facility is being opened today and I know we will open bigger traditional medicine facilities like this soonest”, he said.
In her remarks, the Managing Director, ‘NatureCanFixYou’ Clinic, Mrs. Abisola Kadiku, said the Clinic provides a whole-body approach to healthcare that is aimed at improving health and wellness through the body, mind and soul.
Mrs. Kadiku maintained that traditional medicine is the way to go in healthcare, saying “Nature is complete in bringing wholeness to the body in a way that man has neither completely understood, explored nor discovered. Natural medicine provides for you the option to choose a medical treatment with little or no side effects”.
The Vice President and Executive Director, Green Centre for Natural Medicine, Lagos, Nigeria, Dr. Darlington Okafor, assured the gathering that traditional medicine has come to stay.
“We need to change our orientation about indigenous means of treatment. Other countries of the world boast of their traditional medicine and they look up to ours because what we have in Nigeria is more effective and it is accepted all over the world”, Okafor said.