TINYANGA FLOOD WHO OFFICES WITH TIMBITA

MBABANE – The World Health Organisation’s Country Offices in Mbabane are already being flooded by traditional healers and herbalists who come with their muti and are keen to have their traditional concoctions tested.

This is according to WHO Health Promotion Officer Dr Kevin Makadzange, who said the traditional healers were bringing their concoctions daily to be tested.

This follows the announcement by the World Health Organisation local branch that they were ready to clinically test traditional medicine so that it would be endorsed scientifically.
Dr Makadzange had said the traditional healers could contact the WHO offices to find out how their traditional medicine could be tested.

The announcement was made on May 14 by Dr Makadzange, who clearly stated that local traditional healers would do this in groups or through associations.

Makadzange said the traditional healers and herbalists who came to the WHO offices last week did so individually, which was not part of the requirements on how this exercise was to be carried out.
“It is easier to work with groups and associations than to work with individuals. It will be hard for us to assist people coming in individually,” he said.

Also, the health promotions officer said those who came had their muti in their possession.
“They should not come with their traditional medicine here. That is prohibited,” he stated.

He said the WHO was only working as a middle-man for traditional healers, scientists and laboratories.
“Our duty in this, would be to facilitate the connection between doctors and scientists who are specialists in testing herbal plants. WHO will not be solely responsible for doing tests, but will be the middle-man in overseeing that the process happens smoothly and with the rightful parties involved,” said Dr Makadzange.

He pleaded with traditional doctors that they should come into their offices in groups-not individually.
The Ministry of Health offices in Mbabane were also not spared from the visits from the individual herbalists and traditional healers.

Director of Health Services Dr Vusi Magagula said he also had a handful of them knocking on his doors.
“They came with their muti after the public announcement that their concoctions would be tested,” he said.
He said interested parties should touch base with the World Health Organisation Country Office.

pandemic

Amid the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country and globally, the World Health Organisation in Eswatini opened its arms to traditional healers to clinically test their concoctions for different diseases and infections, including the novel coronavirus.

Seventy traditional medicine experts from countries across Africa held a virtual meeting with WHO on the role of traditional medicine in the COVID-19 response.
Meanwhile, traditional healers and the Witchdoctors Association met last week to map a way forward on how they would send their concoctions for testing.

It was agreed during the meeting that each traditional healer would be grouped according to their regions and would prepare the concoctions to be sent for testing as a group.

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