The 7th Medical Herbalist Induction Ceremony took a solemn turn yesterday when Professor Isaac Ayensu, former Head of the Department of Herbal Medicine at KNUST, delivered a charged closing address that went beyond congratulations – it was a call to conscience.
Speaking to the newly inducted medical herbalists at the British Council Auditorium in Accra, Prof. Ayensu reminded them that the title they now carry comes with an invisible but unbreakable leash: the watchful eyes of the nation.
“I Will Prescribe from Plants Only”
In his closing remarks, Prof. Ayensu read aloud the very pledge that now binds the new professionals:
“I will prescribe medicines derived from natural substances of plants and shall not be mixed or combined with orthodox medicines or pure chemicals.”
But he did not stop at recitation. He pressed the weight of those words deep into the hearts of the inductees:
“We are all watching every minute. Who is watching? A Ghana Health service is watching. Everyone is watching.”
A Warning Wrapped in Encouragement
The seasoned academic and herbal medicine pioneer made it clear that the inductees are not being sent into the field as amateurs. They are trained, he stressed, and that training must reflect in their practice.
“You are trained scientifically to go and perform all that is written here,” Prof. Ayensu declared.
He urged them to approach their work not as a mere job, but as a sacred trust – one that requires a shift in mindset and a grounding of the heart.
“Make sure that your hearts have come in – it would be different because you are now professionals.”
A New Chapter for Ghana’s Healthcare
The ceremony, themed “Advancing Primary Healthcare Through Research-Driven Herbal Medicine Integration,” marked the formal induction of a new cohort of medical herbalists into Ghana’s primary healthcare system.
But it was Prof. Ayensu’s closing prayer and charge that lingered long after the event ended:
“God bless you. And God…”
His voice trailed off, as if to say: God will do the rest. Now go and prove yourselves.
What This Means
For the newly inducted medical herbalists, the message was unambiguous: the era of casual practice is over. They are now professionals, watched by regulatory bodies, their peers, and the Ghanaian public.
For Ghana’s healthcare system, it was yet another sign that traditional medicine – when practiced with scientific rigour and ethical discipline – is being welcomed into the mainstream.
#tramed #MH #tmpc #HerbalMedicine #PrimaryHealthcare #GhanaHealth #KNUST
