Efforts to strengthen and promote traditional medicine
The National Department of Health recognises that there is an entrenched historical bias towards Western/allopathic healthcare that has a long history. The Government has committed itself to the involvement of traditional healers in official healthcare services. This includes the several types of traditional healthcare practitioners who can be broadly categorised as diviners, herbalists, faith healers and traditional birth attendants. These practitioners are separated by the methods that they use to diagnose and treat their patients. They also employ a number of different traditional formularies.
Traditional health practitioners (THPs) and traditional medicine are critical components of the healthcare discipline for millions of our people, especially in the rural areas. It is through regulated practice that a meaningful contribution of the THPs in Primary Healthcare activities would be enhanced and facilitated.
As an effort to strengthen and promote traditional medicine and practice, the Minister of Health, Dr Aaron Motsoaledi has, in terms of Section 47 read with Section 21 of the Traditional Health Practitioners Act, 2007 (Act No 22 of 2007), and after consultation with the Council, published the regulations for traditional health practitioners in the Government Gazette No 39358, Notice No 1052 of 3 November 2015.
The Department of Health has taken steps towards the official recognition and institutionalisation of African traditional medicine by establishing a directorate of Traditional Medicine within the National Department of Health as well as enacting the Traditional Health Practitioners Act, 2007 (Act No 22 of 2007) which established the Interim Traditional Health Practitioners Council.
What does the Act seek to achieve
The Traditional Health Practitioners Act provides a regulatory framework to register, regulate and control traditional health practitioners. The objectives of the Act are to:
- establish the Interim Traditional Health Practitioners Council of South Africa
- make provision for control of the registration, training and practices of traditional health practitioners in South Africa
- serve and protect the interests of members of the public who use the services of traditional health practitioners.
The Interim Traditional Health Practitioners Council is established to oversee the registration and regulation of the practice of traditional health practitioners by setting practice standards. The registration process will entitle traditional health providers to practice for gain and to benefit from being associated with a professional regulator for traditional health practice.
Core functions of the Council:
- Oversee the identification of qualified practitioners
- Oversee the registration or licensing and accreditation of the different categories of traditional health practitioners
- Oversee the regulation of the practice of the different categories of traditional health practitioners
- Develop framework for the practice of TM
- Develop a code of conduct and ethics for THPs
- Facilitate interaction between Conventional Health Practitioners and THPs (for patient referral, clinical management, etc).
The Interim Traditional Health Practitioners Council has to ensure safety, efficacy and quality of services provided by THPs through the enforcement of the Code of Ethics and conduct particularly in relation to the provisions related to their work, their patients, their colleagues and to the public among other provisions.
Regulations in terms of Section 47 read with Section 21 of the Traditional Health Practitioners Act, 2007 (Act No 22 of 2007) as published in the Government Gazette No 39358, Notice No 1052 of 3 November 2015. It can be found on the Department’s website: www.health.gov.za
The specific focus of the regulations is to set out the process for registration of the different categories of traditional health practitioners and other pre-requirements including, but not limited to, the training of students, standards of educational training and codes of good ethical practice associated with ensuring the safety of the public and overall patient satisfaction. Furthermore, the regulations are objectively intended to put the prescripts of the Act into operation and thus promote the process of standardisation of the traditional health practice and its formal recognition.
Interested persons are invited to submit any substantiated comments in writing to the Department of Health, Private Bag X828, Pretoria 0001 (mbedzf@health.gov.za), for attention: Director: Traditional Medicines, or contact the following person in their respective provinces:
Eastern Cape: Mr HZ Dweba
Tel: 040 608 1729
Free State: Ms M Khamane
Tel: 051 408 1417
Gauteng: Ms D Mothopeng
Tel: 011 355 3391
KwaZulu-Natal: Ms Nomakiki Majola
Tel: 033 846 7218
Limpopo: Dr P Kgaphola
Tel: 015 293 6034
Mpumalanga: Ms M Selokela
Tel: 013 766 3438
Northern Cape: Mr G Moseki
Tel: 053 830 0533
North West: Ms M Lerumo
Tel: 018 391 4183
Western Cape Mr M Qotole
Tel: 021 483 4284
The closing date for comments is 3 February 2016. PDF
