UNIMED VC Demands Advancement Of Herbal Medicine

The Vice-Chancellor of University of Medical Sciences, Ondo State, Prof. Adesegun Fatusi has encouraged Nigerians to give attention to and promote herbal medicine.

Fatusi made this call during a symposium  organised by the Centre for Herbal Medicine and Drug Development of UNIMED tagged ‘Herbal Medicine: The past, the present and the future'.

In a statement by the Public Relations Unit of the University, Temitope Oluwatayo, the VC said science coupled with the potential of herbs could affect the country's education sector positively, demanding Nigerians to promote herbal medicine.

"We have not harnessed our God-given heritage in the areas of herbs and what our forefathers have done but UNIMED is beginning to turn around the story and this moment is that golden moment, this workshop opens up that opportunity for us to crystalise our vision and bring the Nigerian nation to understand the power of science merged with the power of herbs, making the whole difference not only to health but also the economy," the VC said.

Fatusi added that the institution stopped its quest for the inclusion of a Bachelor’s degree programme in herbal medicine in the institution due to the absence of the Core Curriculum and Minimum Academic Standard (formerly known as National Universities Commission Benchmark Minimum Academic Standard) for the programme.

Director of the  Center for Research and Development, Federal University of Technology, Akure, Prof. Ganiyu Oboh, who was the keynote speaker at the event added that the practice of herbal medicine is the oldest form of heathcare, maintaining that human beings depend on nature for feeding and the treatment and prevention of illnesses.

‘‘The future of herbal medicine is inevitable integration into modern medical practice and it can only be achieved when there is a proper collaboration between government and all the actors involved in healthcare delivery,’’ Oboh added.