The Gambia Association of Traditional Medicine Practitioners has been born recently at a ceremony held at NANA Conference Hall in Kanifing. This is a very positive move on the part of all involved and will see major benefits not only to those involved but to all of us.

The National Traditional Medicine Control Programme of the Department of State for Health and Social Welfare, through Funding from the World Health Organization Country Office, last Thursday reviewed the constitution of the association and also conducted an election for the members of the association at the Nana Conference Hall.

This legitimizes the organisation and gives it the standing it needs to be effective in the community. We hope that this new association will bring high levels of accountability for those who practice traditional medicine and we are sure that all practitioners will be very pleased at the formation.

Speaking at the meeting, which brought together traditional practitioners from across the country, Mr. Babucarr Sillah, Program Manager at the Traditional Medicine Unit, said the formation of the association is timely noting that this will enable healers to work as a family and also engage themselves in research as far as traditional medicine is concerned.

He stated that the coming of GATMET will greatly help his unit to closely collaborate with DOSH.

These are all very important points as research will lead to even greater progress in the field and new discoveries in the area of traditional medicine.

Traditional medicine is a legitimate practice and so those who engage in it must be equally monitored by the Department of State as those doctors who practice western medicine in our hospitals and health centres.

We applaud this very positive move and look forward to the good work the association will no doubt immediately begin to engage in.