Considering the popularity of traditional medicine and its widespread use in PNG, guidelines for its regulation was developed for safety, an advocate said.
“Regulation was needed to promote its safe practice, quality, safety and efficacy,” traditional herbal medicine taskforce chairman Dr Prem Rai said.
Rai said the guidelines were developed based on resolutions and recommendations put together by traditional medicine practitioners, academics, administrators and legal officials from the Health Department during an herbal workshop in Port Moresby in May.
“The guidelines were created for manufacture, quality control and marketing of traditional herbal medicines for approval and adoption for the appropriate government agencies,” he said.
“Included was the registration of traditional healers and codes of ethical practices appropriate for traditional herbal medicines and traditional healthcare practices.
“The draft contains a guide for the manufacture of herbal medicine products, regulatory requirements for registration of herbal medicinal products to be introduced into market, licensing, production and advertisement of local medicines and regulation of traditional practitioners.”
The guidelines would pave a way to reduce illegal herbal medicine being sold on streets and in all open markets, causing fear about consumers’ health and safety, Rai said.
He said proper practice using the right standards and guidelines set for the traditional medicine would strengthen the oral knowledge of using traditional herbs that would lead to establishing information centres for traditional herbs and its practices for generations to use.
The draft of the guidelines was submitted to the Health Ministry and the government after the workshop and the PNG traditional medicine is waiting for responses.