Herbal Medicine in the Informal Sector of Ghana

Essegbey, George Owusu; Awuni, Stephen

doi:10.1017/cbo9781316662076.010

Cited by 18 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The organizational system described by the managers falls short of what Essegbey & Awuni, defined as an important first step in the integration of traditional medicine into the healthcare system of the country which includes oversight responsibility from Traditional and Alternate Medicines Directorate that was set up under the Ministry of Health [ 25 ]. The addition of some herbal medicines to the Essential Drug List and ensuring some traditional medicine treatments are covered by the NHIS have all not been implemented.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors that promote and sustain the use of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine services at LEKMA hospital, Ghana, 2017: an observational study

Kenu

Bandoh

et al. 2021

BMC Complement Med Ther

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background About 70% of Ghanaians depend on traditional, complementary and integrative medicine (TCIM) practices for primary healthcare needs. It was therefore integrated into mainstream healthcare delivery system by the Ministry of Health in September 2012. LEKMA hospital was one of the institutions for piloting TCIM services. We assessed factors that promote the usage and sustainability of TCIM services within the formal healthcare system. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional study from April–June 2017 at the LEKMA hospital, Accra, Ghana. Patients and managers of TCIM clinic were interviewed. Data was collected through qualitative and quantitative approaches. We defined usage of TCIM as its current use, and sustainability as structures in place to run TCIM services. For assessing usage, a five-point Likert scale was used to assess five domain areas via exit interviews. Managers were assessed on the sustainability of TCIM services through in-depth interviews. Likert scales responses were analysed quantitatively using descriptive tertile statistics. Thematic analysis was used for qualitative analysis. Results Overall, 72.7% (40/55) of the clients showed a high preference for TCIM usage and 80.0% (4/5) of the managers valued it as partially sustainable. Eighty per cent (44/55) of patients indicated that the location of TCIM services and availability of visible directional signs influenced the good usage; 84% (46/55) of the patients agreed that the usage of TCIM was influenced by their perceived effectiveness. Managers indicated that human resources for providing services was a challenge and TCIM integration into the operations of the hospital needed to be improved. Conclusion We observed a high preference for usage of TCIM among users at LEKMA hospital. The general belief in the potency, perceived effectiveness, location and availability of TCIM services are key determinants of the high preference for usage of TCIM. Provision of TCIM services in its current form is partially sustainable from the managers’ perspective. We recommend that the Ministry of Health ensures the availability of staff and create awareness of TCIM services among the general populace.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors that promote and sustain the use of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine services at LEKMA hospital, Ghana, 2017: an observational study

Kenu

Bandoh

et al. 2021

BMC Complement Med Ther

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Further, their study also reveals how the appropriation mechanism cost time and money so the producers rely more on the informal appropriation mechanisms. Similarly, appropriation mechanisms in the traditional herbal medicine in informal sector of Ghana the producers rely on informal mechanisms such as social norms to protect their innovations (Essegbey & Awuni, ).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intellectual property rights and informal sector innovations: Exploring grassroots innovations in India

Sharma

Kumar

2018

World Intellectual Property

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The primary driver for innovations in the formal sector is credited to the institution of patenting. Intellectual property rights (IPRs) as the extrinsic motivational factor have supported innovations by firms and industries which have a large market and resources to commercialise their products. Grassroots innovations, on the other hand, represent a culture of individual innovators outside formal sector who innovate out of adversity, curiosity and needs. Most of the innovators have cited intrinsic motivation behind the innovation and are unaware of IPR.However, there is a paucity of literature on the relation between IPR and innovations in the informal sector. Drawing on the literature on IPR and innovations in the formal sector, we examine whether the same theories and rationales apply to a different nature of innovations in the informal sector. This is an exploratory study and to map the current scenario of patenting for grassroots innovations secondary data were collected from the National Innovation Foundation (NIF) website. To understand the innovators' perception, we interviewed them through various means and on different sites. The study finds that although there was no initial intention to innovate for extrinsic incentives like patenting, there is an increasing trend in filing patents for grassroots innovations by the NIF in India. K E Y W O R D S grassroots innovations, India, informal sector innovations, intellectual property rights, patents

show abstract

“…The product innovations involved the production of assorted products like pills, tablets, capsules, creams in tubes and mixtures bottled to increase their lifespan while adopting modern marketing practices for distribution. While the process innovations have also led to the adoption of diverse modern manufacturing equipment such as tube-filling for packaging creams, machines for bottling liquid preparations with complete seals, semi-automated capsule-filling machines for capsules, and labelling machines (Essegbey, Awuni, Essegbey, Akuffobea & Mica, 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and the Traditional Medicine Practice Council (TMPC) oversee the manufacturing and distribution of plant medicines in the Cape Coast metropolis. The pharmacies, over-thecounter medicine stores, herbal stores and herbal clinics are the recognised retail outlets for distributing herbal medicinal products as non-prescription medicines in the Cape Coast metropolis (WHO, 2011;Essegbey et al, 2014). Competition in the traditional medicine (TM) market in Cape Coast is growing partly due to the influx of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) and conventional drugs (Essegbey et al, 2014), leading to lower prices and ultimately, lower industry`s profits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The pharmacies, over-thecounter medicine stores, herbal stores and herbal clinics are the recognised retail outlets for distributing herbal medicinal products as non-prescription medicines in the Cape Coast metropolis (WHO, 2011;Essegbey et al, 2014). Competition in the traditional medicine (TM) market in Cape Coast is growing partly due to the influx of complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) and conventional drugs (Essegbey et al, 2014), leading to lower prices and ultimately, lower industry`s profits. It has been asserted that brands with favourable credibility, image, and greater customer satisfaction generate positive behavioural intentions in the market (Ali, Omar & Amin, 2013;Lee, Hsu, Han & Kim, 2010;Cronin, Brady & Hutt, 2000).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

The Effect of Brand Credibility, Brand Image and Customer Satisfaction on Behavioural Intentions in Traditional Medicine Market

Oppong¹

2021

JSDS

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Brands with stronger image, credibility, and greater customer satisfaction engender favourable behavioural intentions, which serves as an essential competitive weapon in a market. The impact of brand image, credibility, and satisfaction on behavioural intentions are well-documented in the literature. There is, however, little or no research on the influence of credibility and image on behavioural intentions through the intervening role of satisfaction in the traditional medicine market. As a result, the research aimed to assess the intervening role of customer satisfaction in the effect of brand image and credibility on behavioural intentions in the traditional medicine market. Data were distributed to a sample of 265 customers via a systematic sampling strategy. The hypotheses formulated were tested by using covariance-based structural equation modelling. The research confirmed that satisfaction perfectly mediated the effect of credibility on customers’ behavioural intentions in the traditional medicine market. However, no mediational relationship between the brand image and behavioural intentions was established. Consequently, this study contributes to the brand theory by displaying the mediated role of customer satisfaction in the impact of brand credibility on the customers’ behavioural intentions, particularly in the traditional medicine market. As an emerging industry, this paper also advances the practitioners’ knowledge about how to build and manage credibility, satisfaction, and image to strengthen the customers’ behavioural intentions in the traditional medicine market.

show abstract

Herbal Medicine in the Informal Sector of Ghana

Cited by 18 publications

References 2 publications

Factors that promote and sustain the use of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine services at LEKMA hospital, Ghana, 2017: an observational study

Factors that promote and sustain the use of traditional, complementary and integrative medicine services at LEKMA hospital, Ghana, 2017: an observational study

Intellectual property rights and informal sector innovations: Exploring grassroots innovations in India

The Effect of Brand Credibility, Brand Image and Customer Satisfaction on Behavioural Intentions in Traditional Medicine Market

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About