The National Drug Authority (NDA) is in the process of registering herbal medicine practitioners across the country in a bid to ensure the quality and safety of herbal medicine.
Michael Mutyaba, the Manager National Medicines at NDA disclosed that the move to register all herbal medicine practitioners is geared towards ensuring quality and ascertaining the effectiveness of herbal medicine.
According to Mutyaba, the Health Ministry has since established that 60% of Ugandans consume herbal medicine.
He reveals that NDA has so far registered and cleared over 180 locally made herbal medicines.
Jamil Mukwaya Lutakome, the President National Herbalists Association told our reporter that registering herbalists will help weed out impersonators and conmen.
He has also urged the herbalists to improve the quality of herbal medicines to increase its acceptability in the market.
Zaidi Waisa, a herbalist in Soroti welcomed the proposed registration by NDA.
In 2019, parliament approved the traditional and complementary medical medicine act that spells out regulations and guidelines pertaining to herbal medicine in Uganda.
