Intando Yabaphantsi (will of the ancestors) Traditional Healers Association is launching a branch in Grahamstown this weekend, kicking off African Traditional Medicine Week, from 26 until 31 August.
Intando Yabaphantsi (will of the ancestors) Traditional Healers Association is launching a branch in Grahamstown this weekend, kicking off African Traditional Medicine Week, from 26 until 31 August.
Traditional healers, sangomas and praise singers will be at the launch, to be hosted at the Extension 9 community hall on Saturday 24 August, starting at 10am. The association is a national non-profit organisation specialising in traditional healing and medicine.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), traditional African medicine uses a holistic approach to healing, combining indigenous herbal medicines with spirituality. African Traditional Medicine Week recognises the important role of traditional medicine on the continent.
It aims to integrate traditional medicine into health systems and provide a scientific basis for ensuring patient safety and quality healthcare.
According to WHO, “about 80% of Africa's population relies on traditional medicine for their basic health needs. In some cases traditional medicine is the only healthcare service available.” In 2006 a study of low- and middle-income countries focusing on the consequences of illness in households showed that people in rural areas frequently spend about 10% of income on medical services out-of-pocket.
According to the study, this figure increased dramatically when it came to chronic illnesses like diabetes, recurrent illness like malaria and long-term illness such as HIV and Aids.
Access to healthcare in South Africa and the continent as a whole is a key issue for millions. In rural areas, the challenge of limited healthcare facilities is exacerbated by the vast distances people must travel to reach them.
Lack of reliable and affordable public transport, combined with high levels of poverty, make specialist medical services out of reach. To avoid costly trips to western doctors and medical facilities many people rely on traditional medicine because it is accessible, affordable and uses indigenous ingredients.
But the use of traditional medicine is not only limited to low or middle-income households. The Social & Medicine Journal reports that high-income groups have also been known to consult with amaxhwele (herbalists) or amagqirha (traditional doctors).
In South Africa, the official recognition and institutionalisation of traditional medicine took great strides when the Department of Health formed an Interim Traditional Health Practitioners Council in February this year. Its task is to integrate traditional medicine into the National Health Insurance (NHI) over three years.
