The Ghana Association of Medical Herbalists (GAMH) has called for decisive action to complete the integration of traditional medicine into Ghana’s primary healthcare system, more than a decade after the process formally began in 2012. The call was made at a high-level symposium and panel discussion held under the theme “The Role of Integrative Medicine in Primary Healthcare: The Integration of Traditional Medicine.” The event brought together officials from the Ministry of Health (MoH), Ghana Health Service (GHS), World Health Organization (WHO), academia, legal experts, and frontline practitioners. Participants noted that while Ghana’s health policies, including the MoH Traditional Medicine Policy, the Health Sector Medium-Term Development Plan, and the Universal Health Coverage Roadmap, recognize traditional medicine as a complementary healthcare service, implementation has remained partial and uneven.
The panel recommended the development of a time-bound national implementation roadmap, stronger embedding of traditional medicine within primary healthcare delivery, progressive consideration under the National Health Insurance Scheme, targeted legal and regulatory reforms, and increased investment in research and capacity building. According to the panel, completing the integration of traditional medicine will contribute significantly to equitable access to healthcare, patient choice, and health system resilience.
