Government Moves To Integrate Traditional Medicine Into Public Health System
It’s the belief of the government that traditional medicine can viably complement conventional medicine, and it is the intention of the government to move towards a regulated integration of traditional medicine into its public health system.
This is according to Minister in the Ministry of Health Dr. Rishad Seecheran.
Minister Seecheran made the statement while speaking at the second World Health Organization (WHO) Global Summit on Traditional Medicine in New Delhi, India, recently.
« The integration of traditional medicine into our public healthcare sector is no longer a peripheral discussion. It is a strategic imperative for advancing universal health coverage and improving population health outcomes. Traditional medicine represents centuries of accumulated knowledge, practices and beliefs that are deeply rooted in culture and community life. »
Minister Seecheran noted that in Trinidad and Tobago, many citizens already use traditional remedies alongside Western treatments.
« Trinidad and Tobago endorses the efforts to optimise the cross-sector value of traditional medicines to strengthen evidence-based validation as well as to support the provision of quality and safe traditional medicines and to integrate these medications into health systems. »
As a result, he said the government is working toward the standardisation of traditional medicine products, practices and practitioners, and is developing a regulatory framework to ensure oversight, safety and quality. This effort will be supported by increased investment in research to help facilitate the eventual integration of traditional medicine into the public health sector.
« We also intend to partner with you, our international affiliates, with the intention of building our human resource capacity as well as finding an appropriate model in which to base our integration efforts. »
