Editor,

RE: "Africa needs to tap into its own resources to cure disease” (The New Times, November 6).

I definitely agree with the writer on the need to tap into indigenous resources and training local indigenous healers and health professionals.

However, speaking as a pharmacist let me expand the writer’s thought.

Most of the already used drugs are developed from our own herbariums. Shifting it to policymakers, it is important to regulate and monetise the indigenous practice (being done in Rwanda already), protect, formalise and monetize this transfer of knowledge from indigenous healers to scientists, and ensure this transfer is done locally from indigenous practice (to research lab > to scale manufacturing).

Realizing your thought requires a system approach which is, sadly, lagging.

Israel