Collaboration between Traditional Healers and Medical Practitioners: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

Being a paper presented by Prof G.L Monekosso at worksohop on Indigenous Knowledge and HIV/AIDS Management; the case of Traditional Medicine from 23rd-24th Oct, 2009 in Buea-Cameroon, by AFRICAphonie


A traditional healer is one who uses natural materials and traditional knowledge transmitted to him by his forefathers to relieve pain and treat the sick in his community. He lives and practises within that village or community and this is where he gets his legitimacy.

A medical practitioner is that individual who has undergone training in the school of medicine and is qualified to practise medicine everywhere in the country. The same applies for nurses and midwives all over the national territory.


Strengths

Coverage and access to health care is increased (medical practitioners still in short supply and traditional healers potentially exist in all communities).
Collaboration provides choice because of the socio-cultural beliefs of a large part of the population
National authorities would be in a better position to legislate
If traditional healers live and practise within their villages and communes, they will better collaborate with medical practitioners who are qualified to practise any where
Collaboration allows for affordability and simplicity, the cost of expensive technology is avoided
Cooperation would facilitate research for new methods of health care (clinical trials)
Collaboration would make it easier to track down and eliminate quacks and charlatans who are a nuisance to both traditional and modern medicine and a danger to the population


Weaknesses

Absence of the law makes collaboration difficult
Most health personnel do not often have any knowledge of traditional medicine and vice versa
Resistance on the part of medical practitioners


Opportunities

Collaboration will facilitate legislation
Easier to eliminate quacks and charlatans who damage the reputation of traditional healers and do harm to the population
Exchange of patients between the two systems making maximum use of their respective strengths
Traditional culture will collaborate with modern scientific culture
Short cuts to the discovery of new drugs from medicinal plants
Integration of traditional medicine into the national health system
Fake drugs will be easily tracked down with the collaboration of pharmacists


Threats

One system absorbing the other
Invasion by one or the other of the other’s territory.
The population will mix up traditional and modern medicines