Doctors protest over proposed public hearing to merge 2 parallel bodies

Maduako  Igbokwe l Sunday, December 13, 2020

 

ONITSHA, Anambra, Nigeria – National Complementary and Alternative Medical Association (NACAMA), Nigeria have protested against the  public hearing bill for the establishment of Federal College of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine of Nigeria billed to hold on Monday by the Senate committee on Health.

The National president of the association, professor Peter Emeka Katchy  in Awka Anambra State said the  association’s objection stemmed from its initial opposition against lumping Traditional Medicine and Complementary and Alternative Medical Council of Nigeria (TCAMCN) together.

Katchy said the lawmakers should rather enact an act on already draft bill for an act for the establishment of Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (FEDCAM) which was already in existence and situated at No.505 Wushishi Crescent, behind CBN, Utako district before it was closed down on October16, 2010 by the National Universities Commission (NUC) and for which the minister set up a committee to look into the cause of the closure.

He said that his association is  opposed to the traditional medicine being merged with  anyother body.

“Traditional medicine is of parallel relationship with Complementary and Alternative Medical Practice. Both of them are of different content and practice,and should, therefore, not be collapsed into one. Traditional Medicine involves healhcare delivery methods and practice that are directly traceable or related to culture and ancestral heritage of the people.

“Alternative medicine on the other hand refers to the practice of different approaches to management of ailments not typically used in  Allopathic Practice-conventional Orthodox Medicine.

“Complementary and Alternative medical practice are of seamless compatibility mode and their general efficacy has led to thier more frequent combination with conventional medicine” he said.

Katchy said Complementary and Alternative Medicine was given a statutory flavour in Nigeria upon being incorporated into the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria by Decree 78 of 1992. He said, National Complementary and Alternative Medical Association (NACAMA) of Nigeria was formed and registered with the Corporate Commission in 2009.

According to him,this followed a letter of recommendation written by the Federal Ministry of Health to the Registrar General of CAC in 2008 indicating the recognition of NACAMA as approved by the Federal Ministry of Health.

He wondered how public hearing is being held with respect to an issue in which his assiciation is deeply involved and yet it was not invited. He also said , the bill for which public hearing is being held has not passed first and second reading to conform to paliamentary rules.

Katchy suspected something fishy about the haste to pass the bill because even though the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (FEDCAM) has been shut down, there has been yearly budgetary appropriation to it up to 2020, “and two projects were reflected to be on-going in its name.