Traditional Healers and the Biomedical Health System in South Africa: Prospects for Collaboration
Despite the widespread availability of government-provided primary health care services, the majority of South Africans continue to consult traditional healers when afflicted with many common illnesses. Among these illnesses are various sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other reproductive health problems. Persistent infections that are resistant to cure, such as those associated with active AIDS, are also brought to traditional healers in many cases. As a result, traditional healers (including sangoma (diviners), inyanga (herbalists) and faith healers) may be one of the principal sources of care utilized by persons suffering from STIs and HIV/AIDS. In the context of a rapidly expanding AIDS epidemic, it is of critical concern that South Africa's health care providers be fully aware of the activities of these traditional healers and that health planners take them into account when designing health communication and other health promotion initiatives.
In response to this concern, Medical Care Development International (MCDI) carried out a research initiative, under contract to the Margaret Sanger Center International, to better understand the knowledge, attitudes and current practices (KAP) of South African traditional healers on the topics of STIs and reproductive health, and examined the relationship between traditional healers and the formal health system.
In addition to expanding the existing knowledge base, the goals of this research initiative included the identification of barriers to meaningful interaction, and the development of recommendations for improving collaboration between these two types of health care providers - the biomedical service provider and the traditional healer.
This research was carried out in the KwaZulu-Natal, Gauteng and Mpumalanga Provinces of South Africa. The results of this study will assist in the identification of opportunities for potential collaboration and will support efforts to overcome the constraints that are currently dividing the traditional and biomedical health systems.
