For two decades, a quiet revolution has been brewing within Ghana’s healthcare system, one that bridges the deep-rooted wisdom of plant medicine with the rigorous standards of modern science. This movement is being led by a new generation of healthcare professionals: the medical herbalist.
Dr. (MH) Anthony Mensah, a respected medical herbalist and former President of the Ghana Association of Medical Herbalists, laid out the “full course journey” of this burgeoning profession, revealing a path of training and integration that rivals that of any conventional medical field.
The foundation is a robust, four-year Bachelor of Science in Herbal Medicine degree, a program that has been producing competent professionals for more than twenty years. Dr. Mensah emphasized the unique, interdisciplinary nature of their training.
“The professionals of this program have so far proved themselves competent due to the diverse fields of knowledge put together in our training,” Dr. Mensah stated, highlighting a curriculum that pulls from social sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, and medical sciences.
This academic grounding is just the beginning. Graduates then enter a critical phase of hands-on training, strategically posted for national service to “acquire adequate practical knowledge on clinical and industrial herbal medicine practice.”
The true crucible of their education is a demanding, one-year internship program split between two pivotal institutions: the Tetteh Quarshie Memorial Hospital and the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) at Mampong, E/R.
At the hospital, interns are not sidelined observers. They rotate through core medical departments including pediatrics, surgical obstetrics, and gynecology, gaining in-depth clinical experience alongside conventional doctors. Simultaneously, at the CPMR, they master the science behind the remedies, from phytochemical screening and clinical diagnostics to the dispensing and production of standardized herbal medicines.
“This wealth of knowledge is incredible, and we say kudos to such an arrangement,” Dr. Mensah remarked, applauding the collaborative effort.
But the journey is not over. Just as other medical professionals must pass licensing exams, aspiring herbalists must face the Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC), Ghana’s regulatory body for the field. The TMPC organizes “standard practical and theoretical professional qualifying exams” after the internship. Only upon passing are candidates registered, certified, and formally inducted into the profession.
This rigorous pipeline is no longer operating in the shadows. Through the work of the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Directorate of the Ministry of Health, a landmark integration began in 2011.
What started with just 11 medical herbalists in a handful of selected hospitals has blossomed into a nationwide network. “Currently, over 100 medical herbalists have been posted to about 55 government hospitals across the regions of the country,” Dr. Mensah announced.
This systematic integration signifies a monumental shift. It moves plant-based medicine from the periphery of the informal sector directly into the heart of Ghana’s public health infrastructure. Patients in public hospitals now have access to certified practitioners who can offer a complementary, scientifically-grounded pathway to wellness.
Dr. Mensah’s address paints a clear picture: the Ghanaian medical herbalist is not a traditional bonesetter operating in isolation. They are a highly trained, regulated, and integrated health professional. Their “full course journey”—from the university lecture hall, through the high-tech lab and hospital ward, to a certified post in a public clinic—is a testament to Ghana’s pioneering and holistic vision for the future of healthcare.
