BRAZZAVILLE, 7 June 2007 (IRIN) - The government of the Republic of Congo is implementing a public health strategy that includes traditional herbal cures to complement conventional medicine, in a bid to ensure wider availability of healthcare.

"Congolese traditional medicine shall from now on be considered in order to make its use better organised and more effective," said Célestine Tchissambou Bayonne, permanent secretary in the ministry of health, social affairs and family.

"Traditional medicines currently in use must lend themselves to scientific and technological innovations and in order to do so, [traditional healthcare providers] must share their experiences and knowledge with those of conventional medicine," she said.

Plans are under way to improve research into traditional medicine.

"Traditional medicine should provide populations with quality cures and ensure good results in the fight against diseases," Bayonne said, adding that the government had the support of the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) in the use of traditional cures.

Ray Mankélé, WHO's adviser on essential drugs, added: "Collaboration between practitioners of traditional and conventional medicine is one of the priorities of the WHO regional strategy. This strategy aims to integrate traditional medicine into the curative services as it constitutes an important recourse for our populations."

Modern health services are often out of reach to most Congolese because of high prices. Many rural dwellers consult traditional healers and resort to medicinal plants for their health problems.

In 2003, WHO estimated that up to 80 percent of the people in Africa used traditional medicine for primary healthcare. In 2002, it launched a programme aimed at developing guidelines for the standardisation and methodological procedures for the evaluation of traditional medicines.

Importance of collaboration

According to Health & Nature, a local organisation, many health problems could be treated through collaboration between traditional and conventional medical practitioners.

"Our association, which is a member of the federation of traditional practitioners in Brazzaville, promotes traditional practitioners by inviting them to talk about the benefits of medicinal plants," said Marguérite Homb, the association's coordinator. "Congolese people, most of whom live in poverty, should not neglect natural products that we find easily in our country - in markets and elsewhere - and are affordable," she added.

Traditional healers do not, however, always have a good reputation. There are many quacks who come up with concoctions of dubious efficacy and sell them as remedies.

"The problem with this medicine is that it is difficult to define clear criteria [to determine efficacy]," said Maixent Hanimbat, chairman of the Forum for Good Governance and Human Rights. "Some traditional doctors pretend to heal everything with plants and other means such as incantations. We should insist on implementation of a structure that makes it possible to define recognition criteria for a good practitioner and thus remove quacks," he added.

Problems of quality

Antoinette Onongo Bikani, president of the association of Congolese female traditional therapists (AFTC), acknowledges that there are problems within her profession.

"We are aware of the problems. There are quacks, but the major weakness is plant condition. In May 2006 in Brazzaville, during an exhibition of medicinal plants, we were made aware of the appropriate wrapping bags for medicinal plants," she said.

Despite the weaknesses in quality control, there appears to be consensus that traditional medical practitioners have a role to play in society.

"The state certainly recognises traditional medicine and asks the traditional practitioners to collaborate with their colleagues trained in western medical techniques. However, clear legislation giving us a legal status is needed," said Bikani.

Cecile Mbemba, a traditional therapist, added: "A law would be most welcome. Once passed, we will know that the government is really reconsidering the advantages of local healthcare systems."

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