Give traditional healers Aids equipment – healthcare workers
JOBURG - Healthcare workers urge government to give traditional healers aids testing equipment
Healthcare workers urged government to provide HIV testing equipment to traditional healers as part of increasing their capacity in the fight against HIV/Aids.
This was said at a recent United States Agency for International Development-sponsored workshop requested by the Joburg City Council for healthcare practitioners which was also attended by traditional healers at SanKopano Community Centre.
The disease, said to have somewhat stabilised, is now noted to be increasing among the youth who are suspected to have acquired it from mother-to-child transmission.
The workshop facilitator, Dimakatso Malakoane of NPO HIV Aids in South Africa (HIV SA), said the disease could be presenting in the youth after years of incubation. This at a time when it is stabilising among older age groups due to the aggressive public awareness campaigns, improved protection through condom use, circumcision, single relationships and treatment.
The healthcare workers urged the government to improve on this positive development by building partnerships with traditional healers who, they said, complimented their work, particularly on HIV-related matters. They said many residents consulted traditional healers who were also keen to attend health and HIV/Aids training and to refer HIV/Aids cases for clinical attention.
The healthcare workers further urged for all new information on the disease to be distributed to the traditional healers to ensure they are kept updated.
Malakoana said it was important to improve healers’ knowledge of HIV/Aids prevention and treatment issues to avoid a clash in traditional and modern medical support to communities. “Some of their medication boosts the effects of modern treatment. Enlightening and improving [traditional healers’] awareness of modern treatments will be mutually reinforcing, improve the efficacy of modern medicines and reduce chances of the healers administering medicines that flush out modern clinical treatment,” Malakoane added.
She said the workshop was also essential for ward councillors and peer educators to give impart skills on how to deal with behaviour change, cultural taboos and social diversity, which hindered the adoption of protective measures against the diseases. “More training is required to also address the challenge of stigma which limits disclosure by those who are infected. Disclosure will help couples to test together and to improve the impact and success rate of HIV counselling, training and outreach programmes,” Malakoane concluded.
