Published by the government of Zimbabwe
15 January 2008
Harare — GOVERNMENT should help traditional healers to conduct research on traditional medicines and herbs that can be used to treat ailments related to HIV and Aids, the Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association has said.
Zinatha secretary for information and publicity Mr Tapera Dzviti said his organisation requires equipment to refine their medicines, if traditional leaders are to play a more active role in the health delivery system.
He lamented the level of support that Zinatha was getting from the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare when carrying out their research.
"The country has a lot of herbs that can be used to treat various ailments that are associated with the HIV pandemic. We are appealing to government and other stakeholders to support researches on traditional medicines in the fight against HIV and Aids.
"At the moment we are calling upon our members to come forward with herbs and medicines that can help cure manifestations of the disease so that researches can be done," he said.
He said traditional healers would be given a task of treating the HIV positive patients who in turn would undergo further testing after the treatment to determine the effectiveness of the medicines.
"If the medicine proves effective and the patient is certified negative by medical doctors, it could help dispel myths associated with traditional medicines."
Most countries on the continent are slowly recognising the importance of traditional medicines in the provision of health care and they have begun researches on the drugs.
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