Overview
Most patients in the poorest parts of the world, and especially in rural areas, still first seek advice from Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs). 80% of Africans make use of THPs. In areas with better health services, increasing numbers of patients first consult scientifically trained (allopathic) health workers. Where health services are declining or becoming too expensive, people are returning to THPs for their main source of health care.
THPs include a huge range of people. Some are following long-established, traditional, medical systems. Examples of these include Ayurvedic, Unani and Siddha practitioners in south Asia, practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine in China and surrounding countries of south-east Asia, and Inyangas (herbalists) in South Africa. What nearly all have in common is a deep understanding and strong connection with the communities they serve, and to which they usually belong. Although many remedies they use are unproven and a few are dangerous, nearly one quarter of all modern medicines used today are derived from traditional medicines. This includes artemesinin, now the most effective treatment for malaria which has been used for centuries in china and is extracted from the plant Artemisia annua.
Most countries have networks of THPs, ranging from those who are ethical, established and registered, to those with little or no training or who use dubious or dangerous practices.
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Excerpt from setting up community Health programmes by Ted Lankester
Ways in which Traditional Health Practitioners are able to benefit Community Based Health Care:
Apart from the use of Traditional Birth Attendants (TBAs), many programmes have failed to make the best use of Traditional Health Practitioners (THPs). Where they have been involved in health programmes their contributions have often been valuable. Here are some examples of roles they can take:
• Work as Community Health Workers or alongside them.
• Motivate community members to improve their hygiene and nutrition practices.
• Become advocates for improved sanitation, including the building of latrines.
• Promote breastfeeding and the use of oral rehydration solutions.
• Work alongside TBAs in the care of pregnant women and the newborn.
• Work as observers in TB DOTS programmes.
• Co-operate with the prevention and treatment of STIs and AIDS
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