In rural South Africa, over 60% of the population seek health advice and treatment from traditional healers before visiting a medical doctor. Those that do seek formal health care also continue to visit a traditional healer.
AMREF believes that partnering with traditional healers and bringing them into the formal health system is vital to improving health in South Africa. Their potential as a resource and point-of-contact for both rural and urban communities cannot be ignored.
Rather than ostracising traditional healers, AMREF believes it is better to give them training; making sure they disinfect the implements they use, for example.
The project aims
- Train traditional healers on basic HIV/AIDS counselling, home-based care, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and anti-retroviral therapy, as well as recognising the symptoms of HIV, TB and STI infections. Training also includes topics such as childhood diseases and orphans and vulnerable children
- Encourage traditional healers to refer patients for HIV/AIDS testing
- Train traditional healers on how to monitor clients on TB treatment and ensure they adhere to the course. This helps to combat resistance to TB drugs
- Integrate indigenous healing systems with western medical approaches through strengthening links between healers and formal health workers.
Key Achievements
- 80 Traditional Health Practitioners have received training on communicable diseases, in particular on HIV/AIDS information and counselling
- The Department of Health now provides home-based care kits to healers including gloves, disinfectant, bandages, and bleach. A number of healers have been tested for HIV/AIDS after encouragement from the project. These healers are able to give advice to their patients based on their own experience
- Traditional healers have become increasingly aware of hygiene and sanitation. They now use gloves to examine clients, use single use razors and needles, and distribute condoms to those with sexually transmitted infections
- Healers now refer patients they diagnose with TB to health care services as soon as possible
- A closer relationship between traditional healers and the Department of Health has been established. Healers are increasingly accepted as part of the formal health system
