Demand for TCM grows in Ghana amid COVID-19 pandemic

Despite the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there is an increasing demand for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) in the treatment of common ailments in Ghana.

At the China Natural Herbal Hospital, a private herbal facility at Pokuase, a suburb of Accra, the Ghanaian capital, Leticia Mensah, a 30-year-old woman patient, said she has been living with menstrual crumps and chest pains since she first had her menstruation almost two decades ago.

"I have been on so many drugs before," said Leticia during a visit to the private facility that treats ailments of patients with a combination of local and Chinese herbal formulas.

Having gone to the outpatient department of the hospital for the necessary vital statistics to be taken with other examinations conducted, Leticia was finally prepared for the therapy room to undergo acupuncture treatment.

Seth Kwame Nkrumah, a Chinese-trained acupuncturist, skilfully and patiently pierced several acupuncture needles on certain parts of the patient's body for acupuncture treatment. The patient then lay for a while. After between 45 minutes and an hour, the acupuncturist carefully removed the needles.

Having gone through the TCM treatment, Leticia said she felt the pain had vanished from her body.

"I feel much better now, the pains I was having have suddenly vanished. I mean I am okay. It feels like magic to me, because it is my first experience and I am actually glad I did it," she said.

Nkrumah told Xinhua that there is a growing trend for locals to adopt TCM as its efficacy proves to be good.

"TCM especially acupuncture provides that efficacy, it is easier for patients to accept it," said the acupuncturist, who urged Ghanaians to incorporate local medicine with the TCM to treat their diseases.

As traditional Chinese medicine is gaining popularity in the West African country, many acupuncture clinics run by Chinese doctors pop up in the country.

The China Natural Herbal Hospital, however, has been established by Ghanaian businessman Alex Bediako Mensah, now chief executive officer after his fruitful encounter with the therapeutic effects of TCM in 2012.

Mensah came to develop an interest in TCM and with the help of a Chinese woman, he set up a small clinic specializing in TCM. Eight years on, the facility has subsequently grown into a bigger herbal hospital.

The hospital treats patients with a combination of local and Chinese herbal formulas. It supports this with the application of cupping, acupuncture, acupressure, massage, and physiotherapy and successfully treats cardiovascular diseases, stroke, malaria, numbness, arthritis, among many other diseases.

"I will always be a firm believer in promoting TCM in Ghana," he said.