Dubai: As more people turn to alternative medicine, a lack of regulation in many countries is helping counterfeiters and non-professionals jeopardise the safety of patients, senior health officials said.
People want to use safe, natural medicines and avoid chemically manufactured drugs that may have negative effects, said Dr Salem Al Darmaki, director-general at the Ministry of Health, inaugurating a two-day alternative medicine conference here.
Senior health executives from countries such as Britain, China, Canada, Singapore and Iran are meeting here to chalk out recommendations on guidelines for registration and regulations for alternative medicines. The regulatory meeting is held under the umbrella of the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Rural areas
A senior WHO executive said 80 per cent of people in some rural areas rely on traditional medicines. Many countries do not regulate medicines and lack testing facilities. Mohammad Bin Shana, WHO technical officer for essential medicines, said many people in villages did not have regular access to essential medicines.
He said the UAE has a long history in the use of traditional medicine, but many health care systems globally do not recognise traditional medicine and that is why many practitioners function outside the system. He acknowledged the establishment of the Zayed Complex for Herbal Research, which he said was important for the development in the registration and integration of herbal products.
The WHO executive said regulation of herbal products and traditional medicine has either not been established or is not enforced in many countries. "Data related to safety, efficacy and quality control is often missing and national authorities may not have the expertise to evaluate [these drugs]," he said.
He said Unani or Arabic medicine is one of the popular traditional medicine systems.
"Governments and patients alike are increasingly finding a place for the use of traditional medicine or natural medicine among their options in health care."
Dr Xiaorui Zhang, WHO coordinator of traditional medicine, called for the eduction of patients in the proper use of herbal and other medicines which are available over the counter. She said people not only in developing countries, but also developed countries are turning to traditional medicine because of the limitations of mainstream drugs.
Non-professionals
Dr Ameen Al Amiri, CEO for medical practice and licence, pointed out the UAE had set up a regulatory unit for natural medicine as far back as 1995.
But he warned that elsewhere many of the drugs are not scientifically produced and that there are many non-professionals practising traditional medicine.
Do you use alternative medicines? Have you found them to be more effective than traditional medicines? Do you research on the medicines before purchasing them? Or do you trust your doctor?
