Traditional leaders want patients tested
The chairperson of the Limpopo Traditional Health Practitioners has appealed to traditional healers to refer patients to the clinics to be checked for communicable diseases before treating them.
Morifi Makgabo, a practicing traditional healer with 32 years experience made an appeal during a meeting with traditional healers and the Department of Health officials in Tzaneen last week.
“Advice your patients to go to the clinic first to get a diagnosis and be fully checked for communicable disease such as tuberculosis by trained medical professionals before you start treating them,” urged Makgabo, who also works for the Department of Health as a coordinator for traditional healers.
He expressed concern about some of the traditional healers who still claim to cure terminal ailments such as HIV/Aids.” Such claims can have serious consequences as currently there is no cure for the dreaded disease,” he warned.
Makgabo said the purpose of the meeting was to compile a list of traditional healers in the area so that they could be registered with the Department of Health.
He said the government is committed to register all traditional healers in order to facilitate the controlled use of traditional medicines. He said traditional healers are established health care workers within their communities and their registration was long overdue.
“Non-registration of traditional healers would not only block these practitioners from issuing sick notes, it would also mean they could not be held accountable for their wrongful acts,” he said
He said those registered with the council would have the authority to issue medical certificates as required by the Basic Conditions of Employment Act.
“Currently there are no traditional healers who have been registered with the department. The processes of compiling a database and registering this category of health care workers are underway throughout the province,” he said.
Makgabo said for several years now the provincial Departments of Health has been actively involved in providing traditional healers with training and workshops, among others in respect of HIV/AIDS/STDs and TB.
“The role of traditional healers in peoples’ primary health care should not be under-estimated,” he said.
