Email this article 
Integrating Traditional Medicine into the Healthcare System in Ethiopia: Promoting Research and Avoiding Misappropriation
Abstract
Traditional medicine is a form of medicine that has been widely used in Ethiopia for thousands of years. However, it is still practiced in the absence of formal healthcare. The current approach to the protection of traditional medicinal resources in Ethiopia is based on multiple fragmented legislations and neglects one of these problems. The main objective of this paper is to discuss the need for integrating traditional medicine into national healthcare system and protecting of traditional medicinal resources in Euthopia. This normative legal research employs statutory approach. It is found that Ethiopia has put in place a legal framework for the protection of its traditional medicinal resources, but the role of traditional medicine in healthcare is not clearly defined. Many medicinal plants are, consequently, at risk of extinction and biopiracy. Ay policy option that seeks to protect traditional medicinal resources must have in mind these three problems together, i.e loss of traditional knowledge, loss of medicinal plants, and potential misappropriation. Integrating traditional medicine into the modern health care system requires careful consideration of conservation, protection, and development of traditional practices.
Keywords
References
Abbott, R. 2014, ‘‘Documenting Traditional Medicinal Knowledge’’, WIPO, Geneva.
Ahmed, K. et. al., 2021, ‘‘Traditional Medicinal Knowledge and Practices among the Tribal Communities of Thakhte-e-Sulaiman Hills, Pakistan’’, BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies, Vol. 21. No. 230.
Bahiru, W., 2005, ‘‘Impacts of Urbanization on the Traditional Medicine of Ethiopia’’, The Anthropologist (International Journal of Contemporary and Applied Studies of Man), Vol. 8, No. 1.
Bali, R., 2020, ‘‘Protection of Traditional Knowledge under Intellectual Property Rights Regime’’, E-Journal of Academic Innovation and Research in Intellectual Property Assets (E-JAIRIPA), Vol. 1.
Bekele, E. 2007, ‘‘Study on Actual Situation of Medicinal Plants in Ethiopia’’, Japan Association for International Collaboration of Agriculture and Forestry (JAICAF). Available at: http://jaicaf.or.jp/publications/ethiopia_ac.pdf, Accessed on 21/11/2022.
Bharti, N. and Satyarthi, S., 2014, ‘‘Why TK is Incompatible with IPR: Practical Implications and Illustrations’’, Journal of Central European Green Innovation, Vol. 2, No. 2.
Bullitta, S. et. al., 2018, ‘‘Traditional Knowledge about Plant, Animal, and Mineral-based Remedies to Treat Cattle, Pigs, and Horses, and other Domestic Animals in the Mediterranean Island of Sardinia’’, Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine, Vol. 14, No. 1.
Che, C. T. et. al., 2017, ‘‘Traditional Medicine’’, in Pharmacognosy: Fundamentals, Applications and Strategies, Eds. Simone Badal and Rupika Delgoda, Elselvier Inc.
Das, K., 2020, ‘‘The Global Quest for Green Gold: Implications of Bioprospecting and Patenting for Indigenous Bioresource and Knowledge’’, Society and Culture in South Asia, Vol. 6, No. 1.
Deribe, K. et al., 2006, ‘‘A historical Overview of Traditional Medicinal Practices and Policy in Ethiopia’’, Ethiopian Journal of Heath Dev, Vol. 20, No. 2.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), 1995, ‘‘Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Proclamation No. 1/1995’’, Federal Negarit Gazzette, Year 1, No. 1.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), 1997, ‘‘Environmental Policy of Ethiopia’’, Environmental Protection Authority (EPA), Available at: https://www.epa.gov.et/images/Polices/ENVIRONMENT_POLICY_OF_ETHIOPIA.pdf, Accessed on 18/02/2023.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), 1998, ‘‘Institute of Biodiversity Conservation and Research Establishment Proclamation No. 120/1998’’, Federal Negarit Gazzette, Year 4, No. 49.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), 1999, ‘‘Drug Administration and Control Proclamation No. 176/1999’’, Federal Negarit Gazzette, Year 5, No. 60.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), 2006, ‘‘Access to Genetic Resources and Community Knowledge, and Community Rights Proclamation No. 482/2006’’, Federal Negarit Gazzette, Year 13, No. 13.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), 2006, ‘‘National Biodiversity Policy of Ethiopia’’, Ethiopia Biodiversity National Clearing House Mechanism, Available at: https://et.chm-cbd.net/biodiversity-policy-ethiopia, Accessed on 13/03/2023.
Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE), 2009, ‘‘Food, Medicine and Health Care Administration and Control Proclamation No. 661/2009’’, Federal Negarit Gazzette, Year 16, No. 9.
Fokunang, C. et. al., 2011, ‘‘Traditional Medicine: Past, Present and Future Research and Development Prospects and Integration in the National Health System of Cameron’’, Afr J Tradit Complement Altern Med., Vol. 8, No. 3.
Imran, Y. et. al., 2021, ‘‘Biopiracy: Abolish Corporate Hijacking of Indigenous Medicinal Entities’’, The Scieentific World Journal, Vol. 2021.
Kim, B. 2023, ‘‘Traditional Medicine: A Holistic Approach to Health and Healing’’, Mini Review, Vol. 12, Issue 1.
Krhan, E. et. al., 2018, ‘‘Integrating Traditional Healers into the Health Care System: Challenges and Opportunities in Rural Northern Ghana’’, J Community Health, Vol. 43, No. 1.
Kumar, P. Singh et. al., 2022, ‘‘Disturbance Induced Changes in Diversity of Medicinal Plants in a Dry Tropical Forest of India’’, Front. For. Glob. Change, Vol. 4.
Kuo, W. et. al., 2004, ‘‘Nature of Traditional Knowledge and its Protection: Taiwan’s Perspectives’’, National Research Program for Genomic Medicine, National Taiwan University Library.
Lambert, J. 2001, ‘‘Ethiopia: Traditional Medicine and the Bridge to Better Health’’, Indigenous Knowledge (IK) Notes, No. 35, World Bank.
Littlewood, D. et. al., 2020, ‘‘Experiences, Causes, and Measures to Tackle Institutional Incongruence and Informal Economic Activity in South-East Europe’’, University of Sheffield, Available at: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/130920/1/Current%20sociology%20DL_PR_CW.pdf, Accessed on 12/03/2023.
Mantjoro, E. 1996, ‘‘Traditional Management of Communal-Property Resources: The Practice of the Sasi System’’, Ocean and Coastal Management, Vol. 33, Issue 1.
Merso Birhanu, F., 2010, ‘‘Challenges and Prospects of Implementing the Access and Benefit Sharing Regime of the Convention on Biological Diversity in Africa: The Case of Ethiopia’’, International Environmental Agreement, Vol. 10, No. 1.
Micalizzi, J., 2017, ‘‘Misappropriation of Genetic Resources in Africa: A Study of Pentadiplandra Brazzeana, Impatiens Usambarensis, and Combretum Micranthum’’, Journal of Law, Technology and Interne, Vol. 8.
Mokgobi, M.G. 2015, ‘‘Understanding Traditional African Healing’’, Afr J Phys Health Educ Recreate Dance, Suppl 2.
Ouma, A., 2022, ‘‘Intergenerational Learning Processes of Traditional Medicinal Knowledge and Socio-Spatial Transformation Dynamics’’, Frontiers in Sociology, Vol. 7.
Patricia Shanley, L.L., 2003, ‘‘The Impacts of Forest Degradation on Medicinal Plant Use and Implications for Health Care in Eastern Amazonian’’, BioScience, Vol. 53, Issue 6.
Rbtiz, F., 2015, ‘‘Biopiracy after the Nagoya Protocol: Problem Structure, Regime Design and Implementation Challenges’’, Brazilian Political Science Review, Vol. 9, No. 2.
Timmermans, K., 2003, ‘‘Intellectual Property Rights and Traditional Medicine: Policy Dilemmas at the Interface’’, Social Science and Medicine, Vol. 57, Issue 4.
Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE), 1993, ‘‘Health Policy of the Transitional Government of Ethiopia’’, Available at: https://faolex.fao.org/docs/pdf/eth174474.pdf, Accessed on 18/02/2023.
Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE), 1995, ‘‘A Proclamation Concerning Inventions, Minor Inventions and Industrial Designs, Proclamation No. 123/1995’’, Negarit Gazzette, Year 54, No. 25.
United Nations (UN), 1992, ‘‘Convention on Biological Diversity’’, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, UNEP, Montreal.
United Nations (UN), 2010, ‘‘Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity’’, UN Treaty Series, Vol. 3008.
United Nations, 2007, ‘‘Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People’’, General Assembly Resolution 61/295, New York.
Van Wyk, A. and Prinsloo, G., 2018, ‘‘Medicinal Plant Harvesting, Sustainability and Cultivation in South Africa’’, Biological Conservation, Vol. 227.
Van, N. and Tap, N., 2008, ‘‘An Overview of the Use of Plants and Animals in Traditional Medicines Systems in Viet Nam’’, TRAFFIC Southeast Asia, Viet Nam.
Vanderbroek, I. and Balick, M., 2012, ‘‘Globalization and Loss of Plant Knowledge: Challenging the Paradigm’’, Plos One, Vol. 7, No. 5.
WHO, 2001, ‘‘Legal Status of Traditional Medicine and Complementary Alternative Medicine: A World Wide Review’’, WHO Publishing, Geneva.
WHO, 2003, ‘‘Fact Sheet: Traditional Medicine’’, WHO, Geneva. Available at: https://apps.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/EB134/B134_24-en.pdf, Accessed 20/12/2022.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), 2005, ‘‘Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge’’, WIPO Publication Number 920(E), Booklet No 2.
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), 2010, ‘‘Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore’’, WIPO/GRTKF/IC/16/INF/5(D), Sixteenth Session, Geneva.
World Trade Organization (WTO), 1994, ‘‘Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement)’’, TRT/WTO001/002, WTO.
World Trade Organization (WTO), 2001, ‘‘Doha Ministerial Declaration’’, WT/MIN(01)/DEC/1, Ministerial Conference, Fourth Session.
World Trade Organization (WTO), 2006, ‘‘The Relationships between the TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity: Summary of Issues Raised and Points Made’’, IP/C/W/368/Rev.1, Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, WTO.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.18196/iclr.v6i2.21454
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2024 Temesgen Abebe Degu
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.