THE report on the development and promotion traditional and complementary medicines by the Parliamentary Portfolio of Health and Child Care Committee shows that there is need to invest in traditional medicines in a bid to compliment modern medicines in the treatment and care processes.
By Patricia Mashiri
Although there are no statistics to prove the extent of the use of the traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe to address various diseases and ailments, use of traditional medicines and home remedies by rural and urban people has been on the increase of late especially under the prevailing COVID-19 environment.
In a report that was read by Precious Hon Chinhamo- Masango on behalf of Dr Ruth Labode, the Chairperson of Health and Child Care Parliamentary Portfolio, she outlined the objectives, methodology and findings of the Committee’s research
The research was done to assess the extent to which the traditional and complementary medicines are being used in the management of COVID-19 virus and other diseases and ailments in Zimbabwe. It was also done to ascertain the research that is being done to add value to the traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe.
“She added that the research was done to appreciate the constraints, challenges as well as recommend possible solutions in the development of traditional and complementary medicines in Zimbabwe. It was also done to appreciate the efforts that the Ministry of Health and Child Care has made to develop a useful working relationship between the conventional and traditional medical practitioners,” Masango said.
Findings however show that there was a lot which needed improvement for the country to be able to use traditional and complementary medicines. One of the things which needed to be addressed first is the huge difference in practice by both traditional medical practitioners (TMPs) and Conventional medical practitioners (CMPs).
“Stereotyping and use of derogatory language when referring to TMPs, for example the term ‘witch-doctors,’ which is associated with evil. The enactment of the Witchcraft Suppression Act during colonialism limited the development of the practice and this led to the undermining and stigmatisation of the use of traditional health care and systems.
“Most of the Medical Control Authority of Zimbabwe staff operate as Conventional Medical Practitioners and have bias towards the conventional healthcare system or medicines. For purposes of development, this would not yield significant progress.”
Reports to the Committee however shows that before the outbreak of COVID-19 virus, traditional and complementary medicines were being widely used in rural areas to treat various ailments such as diabetes, high blood pressure, cancers among others where conventional medical services are sometimes inaccessible or not affordable.
These traditional medicines are preferred because they are cheap, believed to have fewer side effects and are easily accessible.
