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| Dr. Richard Fru /The Recorder Cmr |
Dr
Richard Fru, winner of multiple awards for his research in traditional medicine
and director of Dr.Fru’s Garden of Eden International Healing and Research Foundation,
headquartered in Wonya Mavio, Muea road, Buea, has strongly reacted to a recent
communiqué by the Minister of Communication warning media organs not to
publicize the services and medicinal products of Traditional Health
Practitioner-commonly called traditional doctors.
Dr Fru, who is known nationally and
internationally for his research in traditional medicine, in the following
interview with Recorder Editor Christopher Ambe, says the
anti- traditional medicine war by the Government is ill-advised. He insists
that it is also against the World Health Organization (WHO), which calls on
governments to promote traditional medicine
You are
a multiple –award winning traditional doctor and a famous campaigner for the
use of traditional medicine. The Government seems to have launched a crackdown
on traditional doctors publicizing their services and drugs. What is your
reaction to this?
Thank for coming to
interview me. I think it is timely. I don’t think the Government of Cameroon
has launched a war against traditional health practitioners publicizing their
services.
I think, it is some
conventional doctors in positions of authority who –for selfish reasons, have
influenced the Minister of Communication to issue the communiqué threatening
media organs that publicize our activities and medicinal drugs.
In Cameroon, there has been a battle between
conventional doctors and traditional health Practitioners, for long.
Many detractors of
traditional medicine who have been using the Ministry of Communication to fight us have come and gone .Some of such
people have suddenly become traditional doctors but while they were still in the civil service they fought against us.
Some overzealous
conventional doctors have seen how traditional medicine is booming, how more
and more people are embracing it and are scared. Since they are pro-
conventional sector-they have companies, organizations and networks abroad to
which they are strongly connected .It seems the connections abroad have paid them
to do everything to fight against traditional medicine, which they see as a big
threat to conventional medicine.
I think the Minister of
Communication, by issuing the communique threatening media organs publicizing
the products and services of traditional health practitioners, is doing so
under the pressure of some conventional doctors holding influential positions
in the administration. They are just trying to prevent us from providing health
care to the community; and you know the easiest way to win your competitor is
to stop him from talking; you know the media is the mouthpiece of society.
Warning the media not to promote our health
education campaigns is working against
the World Health Organization(WHO).We consider this a human rights violation;
this is against the freedom of traditional health practitioners who pay taxes;
who have the right to use available means
of mass communication to make public their
works and discoveries. The Minister’s threat is against the will of the WHO,
against the Will of United Ntaions, against the will of African heads of states
and the African Union
I even followed an
interview of the current Regional Director of World Health Organization who was
in Cameroon a few weeks ago and he said WHO was working hard with the Cameroon
Government to see how traditional Medicine should be promoted. The WHO has issued
many communiqués calling on African heads of states, heads of government and health
ministers to make sure that traditional medicine is being promoted. That is why
African Traditional Medicine Day was instituted in 2003 and it is being
celebrated every year to create awareness of the importance of traditional
medicine.
The African Union is
bent on promoting traditional medicine. That is why 2011 to 2020 was declared
during one of the AU meetings, as the second decade of African Traditional Medicine
Day.
I strongly believe it
is some self-centered individuals hiding behind the Government to suppress
traditional medicine.
How
are traditional health practitioners going to fight back?
It is a lost battle for
the Government. The Government has already lost the battle before trying to
launch it.
There is no way you can
fight against the popularity of traditional medicine. It is just like trying to
fight the churches. Traditional medicine is a religion; it is a spiritual
practice; it is a holistic practice.
We are going to fight
in our own way. We know those greedy people who are behind it. How can they be
fighting a practice backed by the United Nations? I know that even President
Biya supports traditional medicine. It is regrettable that a few greedy people
in positions of influence in the administration, team up to fight it. It would
not take long for those fighting traditional medicine to go, but traditional
medicine will still be there to take care of the health needs of the people.
Let me note here that nature
identifies them. The angels and spirits know them .It is a battle that
traditional doctors must fight to win, since the majority of Africans depend on
traditional medicine.
Do
you think those fighting traditional medicine can be spiritually arrested?
That is why I said the
battle is not a physical but spiritual battle. Nature identifies people who
fight nature, and nature is always against them. You will be surprised that
those fighting us secretly rely on the same traditional doctors for various
reasons.
If you search their bags and pockets you may be surprised to find
concoctions they got from traditional doctors. Go to their offices, you find
concoctions from the very people they pretend to be fighting against. These may
be people who spend all their visiting witch doctors.
You can never fight nature.
Fighting nature means fighting God. And such people will be spiritually
arrested.
The
argument put forward by Government is that traditional doctors are publicizing
products that have not be certified or approved. Who is supposed to certify
your medicinal drugs?
That is the question.
Can a car novice certify a car, produced by professional manufacturers?
Traditional medicinal drugs are produced by those who have natural, spiritual
and mystical insights of traditional medicines. So, who will certify such? A
conventional doctor, who is ignorant of how we work?
Our medicines don’t
kill germs or bacteria. They work in special ways. Some say our medicines
should be brought to the lab, to be proven that they cure, for instance,
typhoid. In the lab the medicines may prove unable to kill germs. But in the
human body, they will work. The best laboratory to test whether medicines work well
is the human body. So, it is traditional healers who certify what they use.
I challenge anybody-be he a director of
health, a conventional doctor, a delegate of health or a medical researcher,
who thinks Dr. Fru is a charlatan to face me in a live televised debate. Let
such a person come and let us see at the end who will be proven as a charlatan.
I am very ready.
From
your findings how is traditional medicine received in Cameroon?
Traditional medicine is
very highly welcome. Traditional medicines are taken even by people in the
highest offices places in Cameroon. There is no doubt about it. Visit the
offices and you will see people consuming my products and are appreciative of
them. Ministers, Governors, Directors, General Managers, Security chiefs,
clergy men, conventional doctors etc take my medicinal drugs. They call me
frequently to testify to their effectiveness. Who does not know about Dr. Fru
in Cameroon? They follow my educative discussions in the media everywhere.
I challenge you to
carry a vox pop and see what people would tell you about traditional medicine.
Forget about the negative reactions in some government media from some people,
interviewed for that purpose.
It is regrettable that
they go and select a few people and ask them to talk against traditional medicine.
We know the games!!
Who are they to
challenge the World Health Organization (WHO) that says more that 80% of
Africans depend on traditional medicine? History will judge them. Where are those who
challenged traditional medicine in the past? Many of them are in prisons, some
have been sacked and others retired.
Today, even scientists
are turning to nature; the whole world is turning to nature, what God asked man
to depend on. Those against the will of God will be spiritually arrested.
Do you have any appeal
to Cameroon Government?
There are some
authorities who are not informed on traditional medicine and so they are misled
by opponents of traditional medicine, to take wrong decisions.
I want to think that
some conventional doctors and nurses are licensed charlatans. Just as many
pastors are licensed quacks. You go to the hospitals and doctors operate patients
and they die so often. Who has condemned those doctors who operate upon
patients and they die out of the former’s negligence or ignorance? Nobody!
Because they say they are licensed.
I am calling on the Government
to create a body that will screen and issue licenses to tested traditional
health practioners.Can you imagine that seasoned traditional doctors are called
charlatans? If the Government can come in, create a body that screens and issue
licenses to traditional doctors, I think that will solve the problem of
charlatanism.
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