Herbal medicine may be a disputed issue, but the high cost of drugs and their unavailability in public hospitals have been forcing people to turn to alternative solutions in the eastern African nation of Uganda, which experts fear may lead people to falling prey to fake so-called cures.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency (AA) on the eve of World Medicine Day, which is being observed on Monday, Damali Nanfuka, a resident of the capital Kampala, said doctors were charging her 100,000 shillings ($29) to treat her diabetes. She dropped plans to consult the doctor further and turned to an herbal medicine clinic.

"I went to an herbal medicine clinic where I was given medicine at only 40,000 shillings ($11)," she said.

Patrick Kasadha, a pharmacist at a government hospital in the eastern Ugandan district of Iganga, said enough medicine was not stocked in government hospitals due to a paucity of funds. But Health Minister Ruth Jane Aceng recently told the media that some medical workers were stealing medicine and selling it to private clinics.

The problem has taken such acute turns that two weeks ago Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni closed all pharmacies operating in government hospital compounds, following reports that hospital authorities were stealing drugs and giving them to private pharmacies.

Abiaz Rwamwiri, a government official at the drug regulatory authority, said there were reports of people making fake herbal drugs.

"As the national drug authority, we are mandated to regulate drugs made here or imported. In our country some people are making fake herbal drugs," he said.

Isac Kiburaba, a pharmacist in Kampala, said some people simply mix conventional medicine with some concoctions from tree leaves to trick people. He said at some places, it was seen that these people mix medicine meant for malaria with water and mango leaves.

Rwamwiri noted that his authority has so far certified 194 herbal drugs for medical use after testing them in laboratories.

Concoctions, calming cure

"There has been a fall back to herbal medicine. Due to many people turning to herbal medicine, many unscrupulous people are taking advantage and selling fake herbal medicine to unsuspecting people," he said.

Just on the outskirts of the capital Kampala, herbal medicine shops sell different concoctions, claiming they cure cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, malaria and all sexually transmitted diseases.

"We have medicine that relieves HIV, AIDS. We also treat toothaches without removing rotten teeth. We have medicine that makes barren women give birth and for weak men, we have medicine that makes them strong," claims Nakakawa, who manages the shop.

She said that her boss Andrew Luwanga, who calls himself a doctor, has inherited the medical practice from his late father.

She said that they get many people who come to buy their herbal medicine for the treatment of various diseases because conventional medicine is very expensive.

She said that government hospitals either lack medicine, or what little they have, are stolen by medical officers and sold to private pharmacies.