NACAMA Can Reduce Medical Tourism --- Katchy
The National President, National Complementary and Alternative Medical Association (NACAMA),Prof Peter Katchy, has said that the association could provide the partnership that would reduce medical tourism.
Katchy stated this while delivering his address at the NACAMA Annual General Meeting and Conference on Thursday in Asaba, Delta State with the Theme: “CAM, Formidable Partner in the National Healthcare Delivery System”.
According to him NACAMA, members have similar educational qualification as the Orthodox medical doctors and the drugs used by practitioners were subjected to pharmaceutical procedures, with empirical values with no side effects.
“We use drugs that can protect the citizens of Nigeria which have the capacity to reduce medical tourism abroad but encourage medical tourism within the country.
“In our society, there are medical treatments that are devoid of surgical operation, such cases we handle them by providing remedies”.
Katchy, said that the association was sponsoring the alternative medicines bill and had appealed to the National Assembly and Nigerians to support them to get the bill passed to enable them get support and open up research centers and engage foreign partners.
He said that Nigerians often misunderstood the association to be traditional medicine practitioners, adding that there was clear cut difference between the NACAMA and the traditional medicines practice.
“Both are of different content and practice; the traditional medicine involves healthcare delivery methods and practice that are directly traceable or related to culture and ancestral heritage of the people, classified in to herbalism, spiritualism and occultism, and traditional orthopedics and surgeries.
“While the alternative medicine refers to the practice of different approaches to management of ailments not typically used in allopathic practice conventional orthodox medicine.
“Alternative medicine has pharmaceutical process; empirical values and pharmacopeia which are recognize worldwide, it includes the Practice of homeopathy, Naturopathy, acupuncture and osteopathy.
“The complimentary medicine on its own comprises treatment used in addition to alternative medicine and conventional allopathic orthodox medicine, which includes practices like chiropractic therapy, mango therapy, radionics remedies and radiesthesia,” Katchy said.
On his part, Dr God’sPower Amadi, Chairman, NACAMA, Lagos State Branch, said that there were three.
He said that practitioners use the elements of nature like water, shelter, diet among others which provides natural means of treatment to any form ailment.
“I think medical practice has gone beyond looking through the eye of the microscope, it has come to a point where the real law should be applied.
“The real law says let likes be treated by likes, this means that whatever can cause a disease can be able to cure that disease.
“When we have this law, which is infallible, then no case should fear humanity be it HIV, cancer, prostate cancer, tuberculosis based on the law will see the broad picture in every disease through the use of homeopathy medicines.
“We want government to provide laws that would enable NACAM practitioners to practice freely,” Amadi said.
He said that the association needed a Council for NACAM like those of the Orthodox medicine to enable it regulate its practices in the country.
He noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized the three aspects of medical practice which were, the Orthodox Medicine, Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Traditional Medical system.