Scholars International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice (SIJLCJ)
Volume-4 | Issue-06 | 348-369
Review Article
Proliferation of Alternative Medicines Practice in Ghana: Justification for Expedited Passage of the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Bill, 2018 towards improvement in the regulation of the Practice
Raphael Nyarkotey Obu
Published : June 11, 2021
Abstract
The practice of traditional and alternative medicine in Ghana cannot be underestimated as many people have embraced the services of practitioners partly due to the minimum side effects involved. Practitioners of alternative medicines have also helped in educating the public on preventative issues and ultimately curative as well. However, a section of the public has raised concerns concerning activities of some practitioners, level of medical training, titles they use, the quality of schools run by some practitioners and the kinds of certificates they issue to trainees. As a practitioner, a staunch advocate of naturopathic medicine and a law student, I am now particular about policies and the legal framework for this industry to help streamline the sector to save the many vulnerable patients and ultimately complement conventional healthcare. This is because no industry is supreme. I believe this would also help to do away with the quack or unqualified practitioners in the system. This paper seeks to address these issues. The author will, as a Student of Law, seek to research into these areas by discussing relevant judicial decisions in other Common Law jurisdictions. This is because, to the best of my knowledge, no case relating to alternative medicine has been adjudicated in our courts in Ghana.