Gov't urged to extend NHIS coverage to herbal clinics to improve access to healthcare

Apostle Dr. Amagashie, a renowned herbal medicine practitioner, called on the government and the Ministry of Health to extend the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to accredited herbal hospitals and clinics to improve access to affordable healthcare. He made this call during the commissioning of a new herbal hospital at Suame Makro in the Ashanti Region. Dr. Amagashie stated, "It is time for the government to prioritize the growth and well-being of herbal hospitals to help save more lives. We are Africans, and our traditional medicines are herbs. We must therefore promote and invest in our traditional medicine as part of strengthening healthcare delivery in the country."

He believes enrolling herbal hospitals onto the NHIS would make traditional healthcare services more affordable and accessible, as the cost of services often discourages Ghanaians from seeking treatment at herbal facilities despite their confidence in herbal medicine. Dr. Amagashie also appealed to the government to establish dedicated herbal nursing training institutions to produce skilled health professionals for the herbal medicine sector. He argued that introducing such programs would improve the quality of healthcare at herbal facilities and address unemployment among trained nurses in Ghana.