Modupe Gbadeyanka
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
The Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board (LSTMB) has reconstituted its Monitoring and Enforcement Task Force teams across all the five divisions of the state in a bid to restore sanity to traditional medicine practice and also conform to the provisions of the law guiding its operations.
The reconstitution of its Task Force is in line with the Health Sector Reform Laws, 2006, which provided legal backing for the establishment of an Inspectorate Division for the supervision of Traditional Medicine Practice (TMP) in the state.
The Task Force, which comprises of renowned Traditional Medicine Practitioners and staff of the LSTMB, is expected to periodically observe infractions among the practitioners and make necessary recommendations to the board members.
Speaking at the reconstitution of the task force on Monday at the agency’s premises at Onikan, Lagos, the Coordinating Director of the Agency, Mr Kadiku Olorunkemi, outlined the operating guidelines and modus operandi for members of the task force.
Mr Kadiku listed some of the anticipated outcomes from the monitoring exercise to include improvement in the compliance with Health Sector Reform Laws 2006 by Traditional Medicine Practitioners in the State, identification and elimination of quackery in Traditional Medicine Practice in the state as well as an increase in the number of qualified registered practitioners, among others.
According to him, the duties of the Task Force operatives is to conduct an inspection of premises of Traditional Medicine Practitioners (TMPs), assess compliance with operational guidelines, conduct periodic visits to registered premises and make appropriate recommendations to the board for regularisation and determination of either registering an applicant or revoking the operational license of recalcitrant practitioners.
He also added that the feedback received from the monitoring team would provide information about the factors militating against Traditional Medicine Practice in the state and also assist in the formulation of appropriate policies and guidelines to address their observations.
While disclosing that the team will commence operations on April 25, 2019, the Head of the Agency advised traditional medicine practitioners in the state to regularise their operations and conform to the provisions of the relevant law before the stipulated date.
