Press Coverage of Traditional Medical Practice in Nigeria

This study examined the extent to which Nigerian national dailies cover traditional medicine practice in Nigeria. Content analysis was used for the study. The data were derived from a sample of 416 issues of four purposively selected Nigerian newspapers: Daily Trust, New Nigerian, The Guardian, and The Punch, from a population of 2,920 issues covering the period between 2005 and 2006. Analysis was done using frequency and percentage scores and presented in tabular form. The results showed that newspaper coverage of traditional medicine issues compared with that of orthodox medicine fall far short of expectation. Though coverage was dismal in the print media, their portrayal was generally positive but rarely illustrated with relevant graphics to enhance interest and understanding. The conclusion is that knowledge deficit among journalists regarding traditional medicine issues may be responsible for the poor coverage (particularly in terms of frequency) of traditional medicine issues in Nigerian newspapers. This study therefore recommended among others that Nigerian newspapers should consider traditional medicine issues weighty enough for frequent, consistent, prominent coverage to reflect the importance the populace, government, and the international community attach to them. Very importantly, journalism training in institutions and the industry should include health journalism and particularly modern and traditional medical reporting to address knowledge deficits among journalists in Nigeria. Address for correspondence: Dr. Herbert E. Batta, Ph.D. Department of Communication Arts, P. M. B. 1017, University of Uyo, Nigeria Telephone: +234 8023444791 E-mail: [email protected] INTRODUCTION Though scientific or orthodox medicine has tended to overwhelm traditional medicine in many parts of the world, interest in traditional medicine appears to have surged lately. According to Essential Drugs (2003), in the past decade, there has been renewed attention and interest in the use of traditional medicines globally. In China for instance, traditional medicine is said to account for about 40% of all health care delivered. The percentage is said to be 71 in Chile, 65% in India, 48% in Australia, 70% in Canada, 49% in France, and 42% in the United States. Nigeria is not left out of this embrace. Traditional medicine is said to be popular among 70% of the population. The country inaugurated a Council for traditional medicine and is said to be working out how to integrate African medicine into its health care delivery system (Abubaka 2003; Maiwada 2004; Adelaja 2006). However, the issue of integrating traditional into national health policy is controversial in many parts of the world. For instance, London (2006:2) stated: the notion of the science of alternative medicine falsely implies that a meaningful category of health care called alternative medicine exists and is scientifically based. But in common usage, the term is a euphemism used by enthusiasts and profiteers to give the appearance of legitimacy for methods promoted with scientifically implausible, invalidated or non-validated claims. In spite of the controversy, as of the year 2000, 25 countries have been reported as having a national policy for traditional medicine though about 70 countries have regulation in place for herbal products. Also, traditional medicine is reported to have gained currency in the treatment and care of such life threatening illnesses as malaria and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in countries such as Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, North Africa, etc. However, there is little systematic evidence regarding its safety and efficacy (Essential Drugs 2003). The controversies surrounding traditional medicine do not go unnoticed by the scientific and scholarly communities. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has been deeply involved in research policy formulation on traditional medicine covering forms of medicines and therapies such as herbal therapy, mind and spirit therapies, self-exercise therapies, radiation and vibration, reflexology, osteopathy, chiropractic and aromatherapy. Others are dance therapy, © Kamla-Raj 2012 J Communication, 3(2): 75-89 (2012)