South African Press Association - September 9, 2004

During debate on the matter, the Democratic Alliance's (DA) Ryan Coetzee said there were three good reasons to support the bill.

It formally recognised the central role traditional healers played in seeing to the health needs of people; provided patients with protection from mistreatment and malpractice; and reaffirmed constitutional commitment to the promotion of cultural diversity and tolerance of difference.

South Africa was not alone in recognising traditional medicine had a value long neglected by formal health systems. The World Health Organisation's global strategy on alternative medicine advocated the integration of western and traditional medicines, he said.

"It is very likely that traditional medicine will in the future give us new hope in the treatment of diseases that continue to rob our people of their health and lives."

Moreover, traditional healers were all in private practice, and took on a large part of the heavy demand for healthcare that would otherwise fall to the state to provide.

However, the bill had also raised concerns, including that traditional healers would give patients leave to take an excessive amount of time off work, and that this would adversely affect the economy.

"I can find no convincing evidence that this is likely to occur on a significant scale. If it does, then we would obviously need to consider the implications and make appropriate adjustments to the law," he said.

The legislation would also make it illegal for anyone not registered as a traditional healer to offer treatment or a cure for HIV and Aids.

"But from this it must not be inferred that registered Traditional Health Practitioners are able to offer a cure for Aids," Coetzee said.

Dr Ruth Rabinowitz of the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) said it was high time Western disciples of scientific materialism recognised the vast store house of indigenous knowledge at the fingertips of traditional herbalists.

"It is also high time that the thousands of traditional healers, who have influence over the minds and bodies of millions of South Africans, become part of the effort to tackle HIV and tuberculosis," she said.

The IFP had long called for co-operation between different medical paradigms so that epidemics such as HIV and TB could be jointly tackled.

The IFP would have preferred to narrow the scope of the bill, clarify its range, and use it to improve the communication between traditional practitioners and Western doctors, and to promote documentation and research in traditional medicine.

"There is little in the legislation which will increase the confidence of practitioners with priceless indigenous knowledge to share their wisdom so that their medicines can be patented, cultivated, and a source of reward for their communities.

"In summary, this legislation is necessary; moving in the right direction; experimental and ambitious. But it represents the beginning of a learning curve and will require a lot more refining," Rabinowitz said.

The bill now goes to the National Council of Provinces for concurrence.

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