“The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare wishes to inform the general public that there is a prohibition of unwarranted publicity given to traditional medicinal practices in the media, especially on the radio stations,” a press release from the Health ministry stated.
“This practice violates the Medicines Act 2009 of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare and Traditional Medicines Regulations 2014 which prohibits advertisement of any form of medicine and medicinal products in The Gambia.”
The release further stated that the Ministry warns every media house to desist from “this malicious act of conducting radio announcements or facilitating publicity of traditional medicinal products forthwith.”
“Failure to abide by this order would result to severe penalties for accomplices, the traditional healer and the media house,” the release added.
According to the release, the Health ministry through its Traditional Medicine Unit at the Old NTC Complex in Banjul “is registering all Traditional Medicine Practitioners, Traditional Medicinal Products, the importation of medicinal products and licensing of premises being utilised for traditional medicinal practices.”
A person who intends to prepare, manufacture, import, sell or distribute traditional medicinal product “shall apply to the Medicines Board for registration of the product”, the release stated.
