Challenges Of Integrating Herbal Medicine Into National Healthcare Delivery System Of Ghana: The Case Of Lekma Hospital- Greater Accra Region

ABSTRACT

Introduction: About 80% of the world’s populations rely on traditional medicine. As a result, many countries (both developing and developed) are making efforts to integrate Traditional Medicine into mainstream healthcare delivery system. World Health Organisation (WHO) considers Traditional Medicine as one of the surest means to achieve universal health coverage. Since the early 1970s, Ghana has made tremendous efforts to integrate traditional/herbal medicine into the national healthcare system. In 2011, the integration of herbal medicine into ghana’s formal healthcare started with 13 pilot centres of which LEKMA hospital is among.

Objective: This study explored challenges facing the integration of Herbal Medicine services into the national healthcare system of Ghana using one of the pilot centre located in Greater Accra Region (LEKMA HOSPITAL). The study investigated further by involving appropriate stakeholders to analyse the current relevant policies and the implementation strategies.

Methodology: This was a cross sectional study that combined both qualitative and quantitative approaches in order to understand issues critically, using semi-structured questionnaire and in-depth interviews, from the perspective of the patients, providers and policy makers and implementers. The data entry section was aided by SPSS V20 and analysis by Stata v11 for the quantitative approach whiles Nvivo7 for the qualitative aspect with the development of appropriate codes and themes for analysis.

Results and Discussion: Majority of the patients were women (66.7%). The mean age of the patients was approximately 46.4± 15.3years with the age groups 36-45, 46-55 and 56 and over representing 28.7%, 21.8% and 26.4% respectively. Generally patients have a very good perception on the integration of herbal medicine at LEKMA hospital. About 94% of the Patients respondents think that the services of the herbal unit at the hospital are important. But patients are ignorant of the potential toxicity of herbal medicine and as a result are likely not to report any minor untoward effect they might experience or they might not even notice it. The challenges the integration of herbal medicine is facing currently at LEKMA hospital relate to drug shortages, lack of proper publicity, antagonism by some orthodox medicine practitioners and lack of good leadership and management skills by the government.

Conclusion: The challenges identified are things that could have been address at the stage prior to the starting of the integration. Possibly some of the stakeholders who were involved in the planning stages had overlooked certain things or they do not have passion for the integration. Passion is identified to be a driving force to Research scientist, government and frontline implementers (hospital management) for the sustainability of the integration of herbal medicine into the national healthcare