School of Traditional Medicine Goes Operational in Bamenda Dr. Fru Says

Dr. Fru

On August 31, 2014, Dr. Fru Richard of the Garden of Eden during a briefing with journalists on African Traditional Medicine Day has declared that GENIWA will open it door to train interesting youths this year. Addressing media practitioners at Blue Pearl Hotel in Bamenda, Dr. Fru disclosed that this year’s celebration is commemorated under the theme, “Collaboration between traditional medicine practitioners and conversional medicine practitioners”.

He said during this year’s 12 anniversary, expectations are high that Government officials and traditional healers will share national experience on research and development of traditional medicine, strategies for a plan for utilising traditional medicine, understand progress made in regulation and institutionalising traditional medicine in health care delivery, to create a formal relationship between government and traditional health practitioners and to understand African traditional medicine profile. Yet, this was not the case given that during the Press briefing, there was no government official even though there is a department in the Ministry of Public Health in charge of traditional medicines. He regretted that this department has not been useful to researchers and practitioners given that “a day like this is supposed to be organized by them but I am the one doing it”.

He also revealed that it is for these reasons that they have decided to create a school for natural medicine in Bamenda. The school he added will go operational by October this year.

Harping on the importance of African traditional medicine, Dr. Fru said that statistics indicate that more than 80% of the population relies solely on traditional medicine as a solution to their health problems. In particular, the intricate relationship between African medicine and some officials in the Ministry of Public Health is making traditional medical practices key targets of attacks especially the so-called prosperity preachers, who considered many African traditional religious rites and rituals to be against Christian teachings and morals. Dr. Fru frowned at those who are trying to destroy traditional medicine. He told journalists that he has a collection of the list of those churches.  

Holistic Health In traditional African societies it is believed that good health, disease, success or misfortune are not chance occurrences but arise from the actions of individuals and ancestral spirits according to the balance or imbalance between the individual and the social environment. At the end of the briefing, Dr. Fru said that they have removed traditional medicine from the mud and are on a crusade for it to gain its position in society. He expressed thanks and recognition to the World Health Organization for the trust they have in them.

Briefing with journalists

Visit of the stands

Group picture with cross-section of journalists

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