In a bid to enhance effective and efficient service delivery to the people, a frontline traditional medicine practitioner and chief consultant of the Benin Traditional Bone Healing Home, Benin City, Chief David Ada Ekhorutomwen, has said that government at all levels must be ready to partner with the Traditional Medicine Board to achieve the expected results.
He disclosed this to journalists in Benin City, recently, during an interactive session held at his office.
The palace chief with the title of Ovienzowoba of Benin Kingdom noted that the traditional medicine practitioners have been contributing their quotas toward the development of the society, saying despite their roles, they have been relegated to the background by some persons at the helm of affairs in government.
The retired certified accountant added that the traditional medicine was not idolatry as being insinuated in some quarters, but that they use herbs which are created by God to heal and treat people of various ailments.
He said further that he had a mini clinic were patients are being admitted and that it usually takes between two to three weeks for a patient with broken bones to heal.
He maintained that the sector is lacking some attention from government which needs to be addressed, insisting that the government should provide some viable amenities for them to operate satisfactorily, noting that some patients are usually referred from the orthodox hospitals to the traditional medicine practitioners for proper medical treatment for bone healing.
Chief Ekhorutomwen made a case for the urgent legislation for the traditional medicine board to enable them channel their complaints, stressing they need steady electricity supply, financial grants and some functional equipment to complement the efforts of the government in primary healthcare service delivery to the people.
