Abstract
Background: In 2011, Ghana piloted the integration of herbal medicine services into mainstream health care delivery in selected government hospitals across the country. To date, however, no single certified herbal drug is generally covered by the national health insurance scheme. This study evaluated the implications of out-of-pocket payment for prescriptions on the patronage of herbal medicine units in 3 selected government hospitals within Kumasi Metropolis. Methods: A cross-sectional study on 413 participants was performed using a semi-structured questionnaire.
Results: The majority of study respondents were female (54%), and the median age was 35 years. Most participants(83.1%) were aware that herbal medicine was integrated in the mainstream healthcare system of the country. Regarding the costs of certified herbal drugs, 51.5%of respondents considered them very expensive; 72.1% of the respondents believed that the costs of certified herbal drugs adversely affected the utilization of herbal units at government
hospitals, which produced a positive correlation (r = 0.5498). A total of 99.5%of the respondents recommended the inclusion of certified herbal drugs on the national health insurance drug list.
Conclusion: This study revealed that the costs of certified herbal medicines negatively affect the utilization of herbal units at government hospitals. To improve the utilization of herbal units, certified herbal drugs dispensed at these units must thus be included in the national health insurance drug list.
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