A renowned herbal medicine practitioner, Apostle Dr. Amagashie, has called on the government and the Ministry of Health to extend the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to accredited herbal hospitals and clinics to improve access to affordable healthcare.

According to him, although many Ghanaians have confidence in herbal medicine and are willing to seek treatment at herbal facilities, the cost of services often discourages them from doing so.

He believes that enrolling herbal hospitals onto the NHIS would make traditional healthcare services more affordable and accessible to the public.

Speaking to Adom News during the commissioning of a new herbal hospital at Suame Makro in the Ashanti Region, Apostle Dr. Amagashie said the government must place greater emphasis on supporting the herbal medicine sector, which continues to play a significant role in Ghana’s healthcare delivery system.

“It is time for the government to prioritize the growth and well-being of herbal hospitals to help save more lives. We are Africans, and our traditional medicines are herbs.

“We must therefore promote and invest in our traditional medicine as part of strengthening healthcare delivery in the country,” he stated.

He also appealed to the government to establish dedicated herbal nursing training institutions to produce skilled health professionals for the herbal medicine sector.

According to him, introducing herbal nursing training programmes would not only improve the quality of healthcare provided at herbal facilities but also help address the growing unemployment challenge among trained nurses in Ghana.

“We need herbal nursing training schools to produce qualified health workers for the herbal medicine industry. This will create employment opportunities for nurses while improving the quality of care in herbal hospitals across the country,” he added.

Apostle Dr. Amagashie expressed confidence that with the necessary government support, the herbal medicine industry could expand significantly, create more jobs, and complement conventional healthcare services in providing quality and affordable healthcare for Ghanaians.