First lady, Aisha Buhari, has appealed to members of the National Assembly to ensure quick passage of the bill to establish a council to regulate the activities of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM).

Mrs Buhari made the call on Saturday at the first annual conference of TCAM 2022 with the theme: Indigenous Medicinal Plants, Health Benefits and Economic Potentials.

“We want prompt passage of the Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) Council Bill before the National Assembly to regulate their products and practice as required by law,” she appealed.

At the two-day conference organised by the Federal Ministry of Health in collaboration with the first lady’s office, Mrs Buhari emphasised the need for the practitioners to have legal backing in their quest to provide alternative medicine in the country.

However, the first lady said out of 10,000 species of medicinal plants in Nigeria, only 20 per cent of it was utilised.

“These valuable bio-resources often referred to as ‘Green Gold’ can be harnessed for the production of medicines, cosmetics and other related products for the benefit of our people,” she said.

She, therefore, urged relevant authorities to support the course.

The first lady expressed optimism that the gradual integration of TCAM into the healthcare delivery system will ensure the progress of Nigeria’s health sector towards achieving universal health coverage.

She also promised to acquire a piece of land for women to develop and produce medicinal plants to ensure health and social and economic benefits, especially in job creation.

In his welcome address, the Minister of State for Health, Adeleke Mamora, said the ministry is making efforts to acquire land to cultivate medicinal plants to boost the production of traditional herbs in commercial quantity to increase revenue generation.

(NAN)