There are three (3) types of health delivery systems in Ghana: Allopathic Medical Practitioners regulated by the Ghana Health Service, popularly known as Orthodox Doctors, who are also members of the Ghana Medical Association, who go through their training for 6-7 years both in Ghana and abroad; then we have the Homeopathic Medical Practitioners Regulated by the Traditional Medicine Practice Council of the Ministry of Health and who also go through their training for 6 years by distance education in India, Greece, USA, etc; then we have the Medical Herbalists regulated by the Traditional Medicine Practice Council of the Ministry of Health, who are also members of the Herbal Association of Ghana, who also go through training for 6 years to come out as a professional medical herbalists.
For sometime now the focus of the nation has been only on the Allopathic Practitioners than the Homeopathic Practitioners and the Medical Herbalists, who most Ghanaians and foreigners go to for services at a high cost, when the Ministry could work out and make NHIS available to such Homeopathic Clinics and Herbal Clinics for masses to also access healthcare at a cheaper rate.
There has been an alternative medicine bill pending in Parliament for years now, yet no one is talking about that and how to get it implemented for effective delivery of health in Ghana.
I am a young registered Alternative Medical Practitioner and 29 years of age. I have been able to establish my own homeopathic hospital, known as C4C Homeopathic Hospital in Cape Coast, with other experienced homeopathic doctors working for the good of Ghana and with a total staff strength of 38.
These other two systems of health delivery in the country can also create more employment avenues for both nurses and doctors trained in these areas to also help both the health system and the unemployment rate in Ghana, if the Ministry will give priority to these as well, especially for the youth. if we will give priority also to the other health system structures in Ghana, I believe it will go a very long way to help the nation than focusing on the allopathic system of practice alone.
We need a collaboration to make healthcare effective and affordable in Ghana.
By Dr. Michael Kyeremateng (Alt.) of C4C Homeopathic Medicals