New Delhi: The Minister of Health, Mr. Mohamed Omary Mchengerwa has invited international organizations and various stakeholders in the global health sector to collaborate with Tanzania to conduct research, innovation and technology transfer and ethical trade in traditional medicine to improve traditional medicine services as traditional medicine can be an important pillar of good health and sustainable economic development in the world.
Mr. Mchengerwa made the statement today while presenting Tanzania’s experience on the third theme, “Rethinking health systems for equity, safety and resilience in the area of Traditional Medicine”. At the Second World Health Organization (WHO) International Conference on Traditional Medicine, ongoing in New Delhi, India.
“Tanzania is continuing to transform traditional medicine from a traditional system to a system of evidence-based medicine that is scientifically regulated, digitally protected and economically viable. Currently, about 60% of Tanzanians rely on traditional medicine, with over 60,000 practitioners and over 2,000 centers officially registered in the country”, he said.
He said the Tanzanian government is focusing on cost-effective, community-based research and validation of the safety, quality and efficacy of traditional medicine, in line with the implementation of the World Health Organization (WHO) Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034, where he stressed that Tanzania is not relaxing the regulation of traditional medicine, but is improving it professionally through strong legal systems and regulatory institutions.
He said Tanzania has started using traditional medicine services in health facilities, so far 27 traditional medicine products have been used in the provision of health services since 2023, while emphasizing that the integration of traditional medicine in health systems is not competition but cooperation, aimed at achieving Universal Health Coverage.
Mr. Mchengerwa Tanzania has registered 141 traditional medicine products, more than 90% are produced by small-scale local producers, a move that contributes to employment and economic growth and that the Government through the Ministry of Health continues to encourage partnerships between the public and private sectors, medicinal plant cultivation, processing and access to local and international markets.
He stressed the importance of protecting intellectual property rights and traditional knowledge of the community and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to preserve, verify, and protect traditional medicine knowledge.
He said technology will not replace traditional healers but will augment and protect their wisdom.
The three-day conference is expected to be closed by the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, which shows the seriousness and great importance of the meeting at the highest policy level.
