00 Cover 1730

In 2006, South Africa established a Directorate of Traditional Medicine
within the Health Ministry and in 2007 enacted the Traditional Practitioners
Act (No. 22 of 2007), which provided for the convening of a Traditional
Practitioners Council. In 2008 a Draft National Policy on African Traditional
Medicine (Government GazetteNo. 31271, 25 July 2008) was published
for comment. This policy document provides a framework for the
institutionalisation of TMP within the state healthcare system.

Integration of traditional medical practice within the national healthcare
system

With regard to the integration of traditional medical practice within the
national healthcare system of states in the WHO African Region, a compre-
hensive account of the many challenges posed by such a step is given in Last
and Chavunduka.^33 A major challenge is the feasibility of forming national
professional organisations of TPs, a prerequisite for their successful integra-
tion into the formal healthcare system. As pointed out by Twumasi and
Warren,^34 local associations of traditional healers have always existed in
Africa, formed along ethnic/linguistic (Figure 5.5), geographical or occupa-
tional lines, the last recognising various categories of TPs, e.g. TBAs, herbal-
ists, bone-setters, diviners or traditional surgeons. Amalgamation of these
local associations into a single national umbrella body, speaking with one
voice and with a uniform code of practice and criteria for registration/
accreditation, has proved difficult in many African states.
It must be remembered that African traditional health systems have
cultural and spiritual as well as physical components. A cautionary note in
this regard has been sounded by MacCormack:^35

98 |Traditional medicine

Country Legal National National Regulation Legal National

framework policy management of TM budget

coordinating providers allocation

body

Tanzania In prep.  In prep. 

Uganda In prep. In prep. In prep. In prep.

Zambia In prep.  In prep.

Zimbabwe 

Table 5.3Continued

Data from report of WHO global survey: National Policy on TMP and regulation of herbal medicines.

Geneva, May 2005.

Empty cells in the table indicate that no data were available.