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Be careful how you use herbal medicine…Dr Anabah
Dr Thomas Winsum Anabah, distinguished Medical Practitioner in Critical Care, has cautioned Ghanaians to be careful about how they use herbal medicines to treat themselves because, some of these medicines could pose health hazards, including liver and kidney problems.
According to the research medical doctor, some herbal medications could cause serious complications to the health of an individual, which includes liver intoxication, kidney impairment, when not taken in the correct proportion and mode.
The Medical Director of Habbana Medical Centre in Tamale gave the hint in an interview with The Spectator in Accra last week.
He lamented that, the toxicity of the drug, dosage, frequency of administration in the production of herbal medicines could replicate a dangerous threat to the health of a patient signed on taking the particular drugs.
“In my practice as a Medical Doctor here in Ghana, I have treated so many patients who have had serious side effects from herbal medications, and when you ask them, you realise that the way the medicine was produced and given to them does not have any scientific backings and endorsement at all for human beings to take,” he fumed.
The international award winning medical doctor cautioned Ghanaians to be watchful about the dispensation of herbal medicines in order to take them in the right dosages.
This, he meant, was to make the public to only take herbal medications that have undergone scientific research and approved by certified authorities.
He appealed to patients to always look out for inscriptions on the labels of herbal drugs and ensure that, it must be packaged, bottled and licensed by the Food and Drugs Authority similarly to the ones we buy from China, Japan, America and India.
Dr Anabah advised the government to strengthen our herbal, or plant medicine departments in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Mampong Research Center to really come out with policy and support those dealing with herbal medicine to give us right prescription on how their drugs should be taken.
“I know there are some herbal medicine practitioners who have acquired license but there are a lot who do not conform to the guidelines of operations, hence government should regulate them very well and monitor their production very well and deal drastically with those who will not agree to have their drug tested before selling,” he stated.
This, he said, would help minimise the side effects, and all the negative consequences associated with the intake of herbal medicines.
According to Dr Anabah, government must open an avenue for all those dealing in herbal medicine to enlist themselves into groups in order for them to undergo some form of training and testing of their products.
“To me, I’m really very worried about the way herbal medicine is damaging people’s lives in Ghana, and I am not concluding that all herbal medicines are bad,” he emphasised.
According to him, there are a lot of quacks in the system, leading to increase of liver intoxication and kidney impairment in recent times mainly due to wrong herbal prescriptions.
“This aspect of medicine when regulated efficiently, could serve as a source of income and employment for a lot of Ghanaians,” he said.
Dr Anabah disclosed that people now go and bring anything boiled from the bush, and once they boil it and it’s dark, the darker it is, the more powerful they think it is, and that is how they determine its efficiency.
“I’ve seen people with wounds come to my facility because they have a small boil, and have gone to put soap concoctions there and got infected with bacteria, parasites and tetanus, and we nearly amputated the leg but we have salvaged a lot of them,” he indicated.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
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Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
