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PROMOTING THE USE OF TRADITIONAL
MEDICINE IN THE
NATIONAL HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS OF
AFRICA
UNDP Grant: INT/03/901/A/14/71
Grantee: PROMETRA International
Sponsored by:
Special Unit for
Technical Cooperation
among Developing Countries
One United Nations
Plaza
New York, NY USA 10017
www.undp.org
Director – Safiatou
Ba-N’Daw
Program Officer – Denis Nkala
Involved PROMETRA
chapters
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PROMETRA Benin
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PROMETRA
Burkina-Faso
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PROMETRA Ghana
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PROMETRA
Guinea-Bissau
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PROMETRA Senegal
According to WHO, as many as eighty percent (80%) of the
world’s population rely on
traditional medicine (TM) and
indigenous knowledge for meeting
their primary health care needs. In
Sub-Saharan Africa this figure is
believed to be much higher as most
used TM for health care needs
instead of conventional approaches.
One reason is because Sub-Sahara
African is a region where poverty
levels are among the highest and few
can afford access to the
exorbitantly priced health care
services; modern medicine and
practitioners are simply not
available and there are also
customs and practices that
contribute to the TM choices. As a
result most depend on TM for all
their health care and health
education needs. Although the role
of TM is well recognized, in
Sub-Sahara Africa it is currently
not part of the formal health care
system as is evidenced elsewhere in
other regions. There is need for
quality scientific research into the
efficacy of traditional medicine
therapies, the need for effective
advocacy and progressive public
policy for the region to benefit
from the full health and
development potential of traditional
medicine.
Specific Project Objectives:
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To build a bridge between African
traditional medicine and modern
medicine throughout the continent of
Africa
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To work specifically in four (4)
African nations of Benin, Burkina
Faso Ghana and Guinea Bissau to
develop a framework for the
inclusion of traditional medicine
into the government sponsored health
care system
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To move toward legalization of
traditional medicine
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To incorporate recognized, credible
traditional medicine practices into
the official health care structure
of each nation
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To remove and persecute charlatans
and their practices
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To promote traditional medicine
scientific research
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To work with project partners –
World Health Organization (WHO),
AFRO, African Intellectual Property
Rights Organization (OAPI), Ford
Foundation and others to develop a
best practices framework document on
collaboration between African
traditional medicine and western
medicine that will be adopted by the
majority of African states
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To host a technical working group
meeting of traditional medicine
organizations, African ministries of
health, collaboration experts, NEPAD
representatives and donors to
implement action plan for framework
documentation implementation
continent wide.
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To share best practices from
countries where traditional medicine
is recognized, legal and component
of national health care system
(China, India, Vietnam, etc) and to
increase south to south
collaboration on the issues of
health care access
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To conduct a research project that
would analyze the utilization,
referral and collaboration rates
between traditional health and
public health dispensaries in the
Fatick region of Senegal
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To demonstrate gaps and missed
opportunities in the interactions
between traditional medicine and
public health nurses/physicians
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To have joint training and
sensitization training sessions
between traditional healers and
public health nurses/physicians
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To use the results of this research
project as a basis for advocacy for
improving the official relationships
between traditional and modern
medicine throughout Africa
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