Nov 11, 2017 the ghana federation of traditional medicine ghaftram was established in 1999 by the then government under the auspices of the council for indigenous business associations ciba in ghana. Western, ghana consists of the several secondlevel administrative divisions. One reason for this common prejudicial view of traditional african medicine is the failure to effectively interpret african traditional medicine. In addition, the democratic shift in ghana spurred healthcare reforms in an attempt to address the presence of infectious and noncommunicable diseases eventually resulting in the formation of the national health. Introduction to traditional medicine pharmaceutical press. Evansanfom, listed the following as methods used in divination. Geog 304 regional geography of west africa, with special reference to ghana. Herbal medicine in ghana, as in most african countries, is a very popular health care system. Ghanas economic outlook may be mixed, but analysts remain hopeful, pointing to the stability and strength of ghanas democracy and society. There are no formal schools in ghana for traditional medicine and any of the types of complementary medicine. In countries like ghana, mali, zambia and nigeria, the first line of treatment for 60% of children with high fever resulting from malaria is the use of herbal medicine. Similar castle schools were later established by tne dutch, the danes and the english in their castles. The empire appears to have broken up following the 1076 conquest by the almoravid general abubakr ibnumar.
Structure of health care in ghana two governmental bodies oversee health care infrastructure and delivery in ghana the ministry of health moh and ghana health services ghs. Indigenous traditional medicine in ghana springerlink. Republic of ghana in africa, ghana ranks 24th by size out of 54 countries, 14th by population and th by population density. Pdf demand for complementary and alternative medicine in. Pdf this study focuses on western medical practices in the atiwa. Before 1900, western medicine struggled to attract patients in. It includes ghanas southernmost location, cape three points, where crude oil was discovered in commercial quantities in june 2007. Waite, a history of traditional medicine and health care in. The history of western medicine in ghana 18801960 addae, stephen on.
History of ghana 19661979 elmina castle ghana empire ashanti empire angloashanti wars john kufuor osei kofi tutu i kofi abrefa busia ignatius kutu acheampong history of ghana page 1 14 20 25 31 45 49 54 57 60. News ghana is ghanas leading online news portal for business in west africa and around the world. He never used conventional medicine to heal the sick. An exploratory ethnobotanical study of the practice of.
Pehr advanced issues in urban planning 27 april 2010. Traditional medicine, modern medicine, integration, health care, survey introduction in ghana, the two main medical systems which have operated distinctively along each other are modern scientific medicine msm and traditional medicine tm1. In fact it is estimated that 80% of the population uses traditional medicines. Physical environmental challenges and the human responses. Use of traditional herbal medicines in developed countries 2. Western hospitals and schools were also built an attempt by the british to export what were then modern day amenities to the people of the empire. Click on the region name to get the list of its districts, cities and towns. Trends and challenges of traditional medicine in africa. The land marks in development of traditional medicines in ghana. The medical system in ghana article pdf available in the yale journal of biology and medicine 873. Precolonial period by the end of the 16 th century, most ethnic groups constituting the modern ghanaian population had settled in their present locations.
Although, this paper focuses on ghana, there are obviously some implications and messages for countries in subsahara africa since. Traditional herbal medicine in ghana history and current state a year ago 11633 views by zindzy gracia ghana is a subsaharan country that is located in west africa which has been relying on herbal medicine for curing and healing different diseases for several decades. Jul 03, 2011 in countries like ghana, mali, zambia and nigeria, the first line of treatment for 60% of children with high fever resulting from malaria is the use of herbal medicine. Addae, stephen history of western medicine in ghana 18801960. Sickness in ghana has been traditionally viewed as affecting ones entire being, including the spiritual and supernatural, therefore it takes more than just the physical to heal. For a long time after the arrival of western medicine in cameroon it was the only kind of medicine formally acknowledged by western doctors and public health workers. This chapter is about the role of indigenous traditional medicine hereafter referred to as itm, traditional medicine in ghana. It is usually practised by traditional or spiritual healers. Traditional medicine features in the lives of thousands of people in south africa every day.
Although, this paper focuses on ghana, there are obviously some implications and messages for countries in subsahara africa since many of them have shared similar aspirations as ghana. Choose from the wide range of maps for destinations in western. Its members have also attempted to assure the government, through the ministry of health, that the dispensation of herbal medicine has a role to play in modern medical practice in ghana. Ghana is a member of ecowas, the african union, the commonwealth, and the world trade organization. At the last count, the who estimated that there were around 100,000 traditional medicine practitioners including spiritual healers, across the country. The western region is located in south ghana, spreads from the ivory coast border in the west to the central region in the east, includes the capital and large twin city of sekonditakoradi on the coast, coastal axim, and a hilly inland area including elubo. Traditional herbal medicine in ghana history and current. The integration of traditional and western medicine.
Organizations such as the world health organization and the united nations childrens fund were active in providing money and support to provide additional western medical care in ghana. Traditional medicinal plant practice is widely accepted as an alternative to modern medicine in rural, periurban and urban areas. A reduced kingdom continued to exist after almoravid rule ended, and the kingdom was later incorporated. Articles from medical history are provided here courtesy of cambridge. Full text full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. In africa, ghana ranks 24th by size out of 54 countries, 14th by population and th by population density. Holistic medicine and the western medical tradition. Folk medicine may be defined as treatment of ailments outside clinical medicine by remedies and simple measures based on experience and knowledge handed down from generation to generation. Pdf demand for complementary and alternative medicine in ghana. The african belief system and the patients choice of treatment. For news about ghana, see accraexpats how to guide page how to keep posted with ghana news official name. The use of herbs master of arts 2009 isaac nortey darko graduate department of sociology and equity studies university of toronto abstract herbal medicines remain integral part of indigenous health care system in ghana.
Parents of this client believed in western medical treatment. The history of the methodist church ghana by joseph m. Until 1996, the moh oversaw the direct provision of health service delivery in ghana. Their king, the asantehene, enthroned on a traditional golden stool, holds sway over the entire central region of modern ghana. The history of western medicine in ghana 18801960 stephen addae on. History of western medicine in ghana, 18801960 book. Trading slaves for muskets, among other western commodities, the ashanti acquire great local power. The intersection of spirituality and medicine can be seen in priests using practices such as. Evansanfom, one time council chairman of the centre for scientific research into plant medicine located at mampongakwapim.
In fact, according to the who 70% of ghanas population depend exclusively on traditional medicine for their health care. Orthodox medicine, however, has not necessarily held a stable place among ghanaian people. The medical system in ghana the harvard community has made this article openly available. Data on ghana introduction in addition to the data below, the links at the bottom of this page will provide you with more information. The christian mission started educating young children, especially boys, in the british ways of life, since many parents would not release their daughters to go to school. My earlier submission, i wrote on alternative system of medicines. Drawing on a qualitative approach involving rural and urban.
Herbal medicine in ghana and most african countries is a very popular method of health care darko, 2009. The distinction between traditional medicine and what is known as folk medicine is not clear cut and the terms are often used interchangeably. The history of western medicine chronicles a struggle between two opposing ideologies of patient care. The intersection of culture and science in south african. Western schooling was introduced in the form of castle, schools by the portuguese, the first europeans to visit ghana in 1471. January 05 2000 a special feature by charles finch, m. Health care and infrastructure in accra, ghana jennifer l. The interchange, exchange and appropriation of traditional healing, modern medicine and christian healing in africa today by othusitse morekwa submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of master of theology in the subject systematic theology at the university of south africa supervisor. Postindependence events in ghana have inevitably reduced the influence of herbal practitioners mainly with the establishment of hospitals, health centers, and clinics. In ghana, there is a spiritual involvement in the treatment of illness and healthcare.
These forms of medicine have existed alongside each other for quite a while. Modalities for establishing useful working relationship between allopathic and. For detailed discussions of the development of western education in ghana, see hilliard, 1957 and mcwilliam 1959. Pdf public health in twentyfirst century ghana is mired with several issues ranging. Although economically poor by western standards, it has a proud history, including as the first subsaharan state to regain independence from european colonial powers in 1957, universal education through primary school, and a relatively high literacy rate for developing countries. Interpreting the movements of a small metal ring hung on a thread and dangled before the patient.
This case study describes and assesses jamkesmas, indonesias governmentfinanced health coverage program for the poor and nearpoor. Traditional and other medicine practitioners are yet to be clearly defined. Pdf public health in colonial and postcolonial ghana. Medicine by jeanfrancois sobiecki abstract traditional african medicine often carries with it a perception and stigma of being irrational and ungrounded in scientific method in academia. As part 2 of the history of european medical practice in. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 274k, or click on a page image. In recent years, however, traditional medicine has reemerged as a possible solution to the health crisis in the third world. The republic of ghana is named after the medieval west african ghana empire. Yet, so many stereotypes exist for the traditional healers and their medicines that are collectively called muti. Ghanaian traditional medicine and health care practice systems are not well documented and characterized in writing. History of ghana gold coast british colony, history of ghana 19661979. In addition to hospitals and clinics staffed with british medical professionals, these. Edusaeyison historical development and legal status of the church the genesis of wesleyan missionary activities in the gold coast, now ghana 1835f, and the arrival and work of the rev.
Well endowed with natural resources, ghana has roughly twice the per capita output of the poorest countries in west africa. But the ashanti suffer a series of major blows between 1804 and 1814. Proposals to formally integrate the two streams have been made by the world. Traditional medicinal plant practice in southern africa. The empire became known in europe and arabia as the ghana empire after the title of its emperor, the ghana.
Most conventional health medicines are directly or indirectly derived from plants or herbs. Ghana psychic and traditional healing association, western region, 196370. In precolonial ghana, infectious diseases were the main cause of morbidity and mortality. Even so, ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical. This 26chapter book, directed at students and the general reader, gives an informative account of how imperial britain systematically developed a medical service in ghana ghana subject category. Oct 15, 20 postindependence events in ghana have inevitably reduced the influence of herbal practitioners mainly with the establishment of hospitals, health centers, and clinics. Western medicine was first introduced into the gold coast by christian missionaries and missionary societies in the nineteenth century. Traditional, or herbal medicine in ghana is a big deal.
The practice in ghana faces lot of challenges and this current paper looks at some of the challenges. Get a printable copy pdf file of the complete article 426k, or click on a page image below to browse page by page. The evolution of modern medicine in a developing country. Although economically poor by western standards, it has a proud history. Traditionalalternative medicines and the right to health. Ghanas fight to preserve traditional medicine work the. Page 2 of 21 introduction ghana, located in west africa, was the first of the colonized countries in africa to declare its independence. The design and formulation of research projects and the methods and. An exploratory ethnobotanical study of the practice of herbal. Alternative medicines was been practice long before western medicine and it is believed that jesus christ was even a practitioner of traditional or alternative medicine using prayer, faith or saliva to heal the sick. It provides a detailed description of the scope, depth, and breadth of coverage provided under jamkesmas, and highlights ways in which the program interacts with the rest of indonesias health system. The history of health in ghana was heavily influenced by international actors. Oct 14, 2019 ghana s economic outlook may be mixed, but analysts remain hopeful, pointing to the stability and strength of ghana s democracy and society. The patterns of economic activity with emphasis on ghana.
The ghana federation of traditional medicine ghaftram was established in 1999 by the then government under the auspices of the council. Western medicine in africa, part ii wiley online library. Demand for complementary and alternative medicine in ghana. In the precolonial period traditional village priests, clerics, and herbalists were the primary care. News ghana is ghana s leading online news portal for business in west africa and around the world. Implications for integration of traditional healing and western medicine in south africa summary there are two independent streams of health care in south africa. The very first school built to teach western education in nigeria was established in 1843 by the methodist church and that was the nursery of infant church.
1079 1044 928 458 312 732 100 1342 376 1202 217 1243 173 865 385 1433 703 734 489 1140 759 327 388 1159 374 6 1335 1404 862 190 394 630 254 1016 1159