Dr Papa Ousainou Mboob, a traditional medical practitioner and the Proprietor of Alhagie Alieu Mboob Memorial Clinic in Tobako Road, Banjul, has condemned rampant importation of fake drugs into the country, describing it as a dangerous threat to the health of innocent patients.

Dr Mboob made this remark yesterday, in an interview with the Daily Observer, following a live sensitisation programme, featured on GRTS by the Department of State for Health and Social Welfare, last week, on the repercussion of fake drugs.

According to him, "we should not allow The Gambia to become like other countries in the world where anything goes". He added that, in today's world, 8 percent of the drugs that are in circulation around the world are fake and over 120 billion Dollars are spent on these drugs annually.

He then emphasised the consequences, saying " it creates more harm in the system of the innocent patients.The harm these fake drugs can cause to the system of the innocent patients is beyond imagination and we should avoid them".

He urged Gambians to exploit their own natural gifts to realise our dreams of curing ourselves.

"Since we have something that is more pure and natural, definitely it should be exploited and we should be exporting it to other countries where these fake drugs are coming from. Only when we in The Gambia tap our own natural resources in terms of traditional medicine, can the Silicon Valley dream, the Millennium Development Goals and Vision 2020, be achieved as it will help us to cure the rest of the world. So, if we can get the lost medicinal species that no longer exists in the Gambian territory and replant them, we can exploit it one day, where these medicines can be industrialised to cure Gambians, Africans and the rest of the world," he said.

Dr Mboob then dilated on the effectiveness of President Jammeh's herbal treatment and the support and positive reactions the treatment gained from the delegates of the just concluded seminar on Traditional Medicine for West Africa held in Dakar, Senegal. He added " in terms of traditional medicine, there is no sickness in this art that it cannot cure. So, the discovery of the cure for HIV/AIDS by President Jammeh is another plus for The Gambia, Africa and the rest of humanity, because people never knew that our able President Jammeh was coming with the cure. So, this shows that with collaborative efforts and support to Jammeh's treatment, we can turn The Gambia into a centre par excellent whereby people who are sick from all over the world, can come and be cured in The Gambia. That is why, if the knowledge is tapped at the end of the day, we will not need drugs, especially the fake drugs coming into the country, because we have something natural and more effective. So, with such natural gifts and discoveries, then we will not need drugs rather than the fake drugs," he said.

He then concurred with President Jammeh's words that we are supposed to consume home-made products and stop relying on the West, saying "that is how we should foresee and tap our knowledge and medicinal plants that Allah has given us for ourselves and the outside world'.