It took Peng Wang, a practitioner of the Traditional Chinese Medicine(TCM) in Windhoek, three years to get TCM treatment registered in Namibia's health sector.

On March 6, the Namibia Association of Medical Aid Funds, a juristic body for medical aid funds in the country, granted the registration, making Namibia the latest to join a long list of African countries that have formally incorporated the TCM into their public healthcare system.

The decision came at a time when herbal remedies have proven their potencies in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in China.

TCM encouraged

"It is true that currently there is still no specific antiviral treatment for COVID-19," said Dr. Raphael Mallaba, regional supervisor for the National Health Insurance Fund of Tanzania.

"However, since the world is searching for the best prevention vaccines and treatment methods, the TCM has so far played a substantial role in China's fight against the novel coronavirus and I believe that this can be taken as a model for African countries to contain COVID-19."

Mallaba said it was demonstrated in various studies in China that for patients at the early stage of infections, application of the TCM alone was sufficient to reduce fevers, symptoms and viral loads, while for those in severe conditions, the use of TCM, in conjunction with various antiviral protocols, could help patients recover.

"It is my hope that more countries, particularly African countries, will take note of this worthy experience and do more research to help their own citizens," he added.

Africa is facing the gravity of the situation as more than 500 COVID-19 cases have been confirmed in 31 of the 55 African Union (AU) members as of Wednesday, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

A number of these countries have requested assistance from China and expressed readiness to learn from its experience.