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The Ghana United Nations Association (GUNA), a civil society organization, has called on government to pay critical attention to herbal medicine since it hold the key to local pharmaceutical advancement.

According to the association, government must give these home-grown natural doctors the opportunity to bring their knowledge to the fore in the quest to find a cure for COVID-19.

The Association made the call in a statement copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Tema and signed by Reverend Christian Pardie, Secretary, Bishop Nathaniel Rudolph, Director of Administration and Mr Samuel Bamidele Ojo, GUNA Nation Youth Affairs.

“Having listened to varied arguments by several of these traditional herbal practitioners on the efficacy of some plant species to cure the virus, the Association believes herbal medicine could be a remedy for the treatment of Covid-19”.

They noted that, although such herbal medicines were yet to be scientifically proven as potent for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in the country, it was evidence that some African countries were relying on them.

According to them herbal medicine practitioners were prepared to subject their medicines to test by the Food and Drug Authority and the Ghana Standard Authority to prove efficacy and potency.

It indicated that, Dr Raphael Nyarkotey Obu, President of the Nyarkotey School of Natural Medicine, in an article titled, “Hibiscus Tea for immune support and antiviral agent” had stated that it is a scientific fact that the hibiscus plant was an antiviral agent, adding that ginger among other natural plant species, had also been accepted by other practitioners as having the potency to fight any form of virus.

Madagascar, the statement said, had made tremendous strides in case management with the use of herbal medicine, adding that practitioners in Ghana could do a lot better if given the opportunity.

“As a country that is positioned to go beyond aid, the government of Ghana, like Madagascar's President publicly announced the local cure, must be brave to assemble our herbal medicine practitioners, throw the challenge to them and GUNA is of the firm belief that they would deliver, "It further indicated.