The Vhembe Traditional Health Council wants to collaborate with the Department of Health in an effort to share information and treat diseases which they say cannot be treated at hospitals and clinics.
LIMPOPO – The Chairperson of the council, Maine Matamba Mamuremi, said especially children are dying in hospital as a result of seeking treatment for diseases that could be healed by their local traditional healers.
“Goni and Gokhonya are examples of some of the diseases, which doctors at our hospitals are unable to treat, but traditional healers are able to easily diagnose and treat them.”He said these diseases cause a high death rate among newborns.
“Cancer, which is popularly known as Tshipfula in Venda is another dangerous disease for which hospital treatment involves the removal of the body part. But, as traditional healers, we can diagnose the disease and treat it the traditional way. When it comes to women giving birth through C-section, as traditional healers we are able to treat them from the third trimester, to prepare them for natural birth,” he said.
The council said they have held several meetings with the Health Department to come up with a way towards implementing some sort of collaboration, but nothing has yet materialised. The council also wants the Department of Health to provide them with HIV/aids test kits so that they can test patients, as they too have no cure for the disease, only treatment. HIV/aids patients are referred to hospitals, he said.
“If we collaborate with the department, we can provide them with the data gathered by traditional healers who specialise in certain diseases. We can forge a mutually beneficial relationship. Currently, our people are dying at the hands of doctors, while others are dying at traditional healers. If we collaborate, we can overcome this,” Mamuremi said.
The media liaison officer of the department, Thilivhali Muavha has advised the council to write a letter to the MEC, Dr Phophi Ramathuba.
Source: https://reviewonline.co.za/325255/traditional-healers-let-us-treat-what-we-can-treat/
