The Chairman of the Council of State, Professor Kofi Awoonor, has urged Ghanaians to preserve the heritage of our forefathers by having confidence in traditional medicine. He gave the advice when he chaired the inaugural ceremony of a nine-member National Coordinating, Monitoring and Evaluation Committee of the Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners (GHAFTRAM) in Accra Wednesday. Professor Awoonor said "no one should deceive us to stop using traditional medicine as an alternative to health care delivery", adding that "China and India also use herbs". He asked the practitioners to have confidence in their products, besides believing in God for their efficacy. He also advised the GHAFTRAM members not to be money conscious but see their practice as calling to serve humankind. Mr. Hlortsi Akakpo, the Registrar at the Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC), said setting up a committee was not only a best practice but also an effort to sustain and improve public confidence in complementary health care system in Ghana. "Obviously, the committee has arrived at the most crucial moment when there is a strong need for effective collaboration and partnership with the Ministry of Health, its agencies and other relevant stakeholders," he added. He charged the committee members to collaborate with officials of the TMPC on regular basis to effectively safeguard public health and safety, adding that the committee ought to be circumspect in its operations. Mr. Akakpo expressed concern about the sale of herbal medicines in vehicles and appealed to the GHAFTRAM members to reduce the act so that their credibility would not be doubted. Source: Ghanaian Times