Working with traditional healers to fight HIV/AIDS and other common diseases
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 ostracizing traditional healers, AMREF believes it is better to give them training; such as making sure they disinfect the implements they use.
Main objectives of the project
- Train traditional healers on basic HIV/AIDS counseling, home-based care, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, and anti-retroviral therapy
- Educate traditional healers to recognize the symptoms of HIV, TB, and STI infections and expand training to include topics such as childhood diseases, 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
- Strengthen links between healers and formal health workers by combining indigenous healing systems with western medical approaches
Key achievements
- Eighty Traditional Health Practitioners have received training on communicable diseases, in particular, on HIV/AIDS information and counseling.
- 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
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