Share

KZN traditional healers to test and counsel HIV and TB patients

accreditation
istock
istock

This training process is the result of a collaboration between the Department and an NGO that works in the field of health and HIV/Aids. iTEACH – the Integration of TB and Education and Care for HIV – together with the DoH, has trained over 400 traditional healers to recognise patients who have TB and HIV symptoms.

Africans prefer traditional healers

The training, carried out at Edendale Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, now enables traditional healers to do basic screening and confirmation tests and then refer the patient on to their nearest hospital or clinic for medical treatment.

The Health Department said the idea behind the project was for iTEACH to start traditional healer testing pilot studies as well as an integration programme. This is because the department has found that most African people prefer going to traditional healers rather than hospitals. The project also aims to address the numbers of patients who default on their chronic medication, opting to stop taking their ARV's in favour of traditional medicine.

Traditional healers
Members of iTEACH with the traditional healers

iTEACH’s research coordinator, Jasper Jansen said the organisation has trained more than 400 healers since 2008. He said the traditional healers were trained as HIV counsellors and taught about ARV treatment plus TB symptoms. They were also required to complete a mentorship programme at clinics where they had to practice what they had learned during the training.

Good relationships

“We have done many outreaches in KZN. We are currently working with 11 traditional healers at Umngungundlovu District, giving them testing kits which are the standard rapid HIV tests that clinics use. They test their patients for HIV and then link them with their local clinic with a referral letter," Jansen explained.

Jansen said after the training, the traditional healers were awarded a certificate approved by the Department of Health.

KZN health MEC Dr Sibongiseni Dhlomo said his department had a good relationship with traditional healers and said the collaboration with iTEACH had done a lot to improve the partnership even further.

"We are one hundred percent behind the HIV-testing pilot study done by iTEACH," Dhlomo said.

Read more:

Triumph for traditional healers

The future of traditional healing

Diabetes, TB and HIV/Aids

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE