Traditional medicine and healing centers in the Upper East Region have become extremely busy with people with different types of illness from near and far seeking traditional medical healing.
Most of the traditional healers said, although some of their diagnosis requires Orthodox prescriptions, traditional healing procedures play a vital role in the healing process.
Many residents especially within the Upper East Region have developed interest in seeking for traditional healing in different forms irrespective of the type of the medical conditions.
The majority of these people have abandoned the Orthodox healing processes and resorted to traditional medicine which has yielded positive outcomes. Many have spent hundreds and millions of Ghana Cedis moving from one hospital to the other and finally patronized the traditional methods.
The residence of a popular traditional healer, Atanga Atibere Agepalka at Sherigu-Yunkoko in the Bolgatanga Municipality who is into traditional orthopedics known as local bone setting is always full of people with related bone and joint conditions. Here, Atanga Atibere Agepalka and his children treat not less than 100 patients a day using traditional methods and herbs and Shea butter to treat people.
According to Atanga Atibere Agepalka, some of the orthopedic conditions require X-rays but the majority of the healing he does are from his knowledge and experience in the work but was quick to appeal for the construction of a place for accommodating patients.
Ninety Nine percent of the healing and bone setting is done in the open under harsh weather conditions especially during rainy season but yet still people defy that and still attend for their healings.
Atanga Atibere Agepalka learnt the skills through his father forty years ago and he has since attended and healed thousands of people in and outside the Upper East Region who visit him.
Some patients expressed their satisfactions on the traditional medicine and healing
“I am here with my aged mother and so far she is getting better and can walk a little because for the past ten years, she couldn’t stand on her feet. We tried several hospitals but no avail and now we are here with good results”, a lady expressed her joy.
In the Bongo district, hundreds of people from different parts of Ghana visit a center in a forest every day for traditional healing from Abubakar Issaka Akolga who combines traditional healing with Islamic doctrines in healing people.
Abubakar Issaka Akolga, a young man who got his traditional and Islamic healing from Allah without learning from anyone, is seen by many as a hero in the Bongo District and parts of Burkina Faso for his healing methods using herbs within the healing center surrounded by different species of plants and shrubs.
People who are under recovery and for consultation, are fed by him through the help of volunteers.
One unique aspect of his healing is a normal Sachet water poured unto the sick person with the intentions of the sick person and according to Abubakar Issaka Akolga, water is from Allah and has hidden healing powers without the control of any human being and all depends on the believe that Allah can heal you through the water.
According to him 85% of people who come there get healed especially on fertility and orthopedic conditions.
“So far those who have come here for healing have been cured while others are still recovering. I used traditional methods and verses of the Quran to heal people and it is a gift from Allah and I do not engage in any fetish practices”.
A resident of Dua-Borogo confirms the effectiveness of the traditional healing in the area
“I am a resident of this place and since this man (Abubakar Issaka Akolga) arrived here, a lot of people have been cured through his special gift of healing and he doesn’t demand anything from his clients”
The general secretary of the Northern Ghana federation of traditional healers Association, Amoah Abdul Rashid explains how fast traditional healing has become in the upper East Region with collaboration with the Ghana Health Service.
” Since the time 2005, we did a survey and around that survey we had about 75% out of the 100% who goes to traditional medicine and then the 25% goes to orthodox. But the point is here the people are not sensitized in a way that they can produce the products hygienically, whether packaging and then registering the products, so that it will enable them to bring it out to the market for consumers. So I think our challenge here is we need either the government or any NGO to come to our aid to help sensitize our people to know how to produce their products hygienically”, he said.
He added, “It is very effective because mostly, as I see, people used to go to orthodox and finally they come to us, the traditional healers, saying that oh I have been to the orthodox hospital, we have taken the medicine but in fact we haven’t seen any improvement. So that’s why we are coming here and mostly they get their good results”.
The bone setter at Sherigu-Yunkoko, Atanga Atibere Agepalka and Abubakar Issaka Akolga have not commercialized their work and no patients do not pay anything for services except gifts.
The work of the traditional healers is recognized and collaborated by the Ghana Health service and in some cases are sometimes referred to the traditional healers.