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The Bangkok Post Oct. 24 1998 Korn backs draft law on traditional medicine Public Health Minister Korn Dabbaransi and his deputy have pledged full support for the Traditional Thai Medical Wisdom Protection Bill designed to protect the country's herbal plants, their genetic resources and traditional medical knowledge. The bill had long been proposed by the Institute of Traditional Thai Medicine under the Public Health Ministry. It finally received cabinet approval "in principle" in July last year, and is now awaiting House consideration. The ministry expected the bill to be endorsed to protect native herbal species before ratification of the 1992 Biodiversity Convention takes effect. The convention gives member countries access to one another's natural resources. Mr Korn said the public and academics were paying more attention to traditional medical wisdom because it was expected to help reduce the use of modern drugs and unnecesary expensive medical technology. The minister pledged to push for endorsement of the bill as soon as possible. Officials concerned would be asked to provide him with details of the draft law, and to discuss more on the bill's possible loopholes before it goes to parliament for deliberation. Mr Korn urged its writers to be more careful with some of its aspects, such as the properties and side effects of herbal plants to come under the bill's protection. His deputy, Decha Sukharom, meanwhile said a lot of Thai herbal plants had high medicinal value and needed to be protected urgently. He also threw his support behind the establishment of a traditional medicine institute, stated in Article 12 of the bill, saying it would help preserve natural resources with more efficiency and take care of all activities in local communities. Under the bill, the institute will be authorised to look after, restore and monitor protected areas and promote studies, research and trade. He expressed concern over the loss of native medicinal plant species whose genetic resources had been sent to research laboratories in industrialised countries. Thailand has lost many of its plant species to foreign countries which have successfully developed and patented genetic biotechnology. "Now a similar situation is likely to happen to Pueraria mirifica, or what we call kwaao khruea, a Thai herb found to help stimulate female hormones and thus enlarge breasts. Foreign investors, particularly Japanese, have been eyeing the plant, both for trade and research in their own country. We will surely lose this native plant if we have no law to protect it," said Dr Decha. A large number of local medicinal plant species needed to be explored and researched since it meant a lot to the country's pharmaceutical and food industries, Dr Decha added. |
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