Browsing by Subject "traditional healers"

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    Missing each other: problems and potential for collaborative efforts between biomedicine and traditional healers in South Africa in the Time of AIDS
    (Taylor & Francis, 2005) Wreford, Joanne
    Supported by ethnographic evidence from ongoing research with African traditional healers, mainly in the Western Cape Province, this paper promotes reciprocal collaborations between traditional practitioners and western trained doctors in South Africa. The emphasis is placed on HIVIAIDS interventions. Some obstacles to effective cooperation are examined, followed by an exploration of government actions (and non-actions) which together tend to influence popular opinion about traditional healing. The relationship between traditional healers and witchcraft - arguably the major contributor to suspicions about traditional healing practice - is analysed, and the implications for HIV/AIDS interventions are examined in the light of these findings. Finally the paper sketches some proposals for practical implementation of collaborative efforts.
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    ‘Sincedisa – We Can Help!’ A Literature Review of Current Practice Involving Traditional African Healers in Biomedical HIV/AIDS Interventions in South Africa
    (Taylor & Francis, 2005) Wreford, Joanne
    This review describes research literature involved with efforts at collaboration between traditional African healers (TAHs) and biomedical practitioners in HIVIAIDS interventions in Southern Africa. The paper draws on academic texts including published and unpublished research papers, books and reports, and press comments on the subject. The focus is on Southern African literature, but selected texts from elsewhere on the continent are also included. Rather than simply reviewing selected interventions, this pap er interrogates the roles assigned to traditional healers, emphasising in particular diviner-practitioners such as izangoma (sing. isangoma: Zulu; igqirha, amagqirha: Xhosa) in these interventions. The paper investigates the experience of traditional healers of these interventions, and the responses of biomedical professionals, and explores some obstacles which may hinder future collaborations. The paper concludes with some recommendations and proposals fo rfuture schemes and related research.
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    Stakeholder's perceptions of help-seeking behaviour among people with mental health problems in Uganda
    (BioMed Central Ltd, 2011) Nsereko, James; Kizza, Dorothy; Kigozi, Fred; Ssebunnya, Joshua; Ndyanabangi, Sheila; Flisher, Alan; Cooper, Sara; MHaPP Research Programme Consortium
    INTRODUCTION: Mental health facilities in Uganda remain underutilized, despite efforts to decentralize the services. One of the possible explanations for this is the help-seeking behaviours of people with mental health problems. Unfortunately little is known about the factors that influence the help-seeking behaviours. Delays in seeking proper treatment are known to compromise the outcome of the care.AIM:To examine the help-seeking behaviours of individuals with mental health problems, and the factors that may influence such behaviours in Uganda. METHOD:Sixty-two interviews and six focus groups were conducted with stakeholders drawn from national and district levels. Thematic analysis of the data was conducted using a framework analysis approach. RESULTS: The findings revealed that in some Ugandan communities, help is mostly sought from traditional healers initially, whereas western form of care is usually considered as a last resort. The factors found to influence help-seeking behaviour within the community include: beliefs about the causes of mental illness, the nature of service delivery, accessibility and cost, stigma. CONCLUSION: Increasing the uptake of mental health services requires dedicating more human and financial resources to conventional mental health services. Better understanding of socio-cultural factors that may influence accessibility, engagement and collaboration with traditional healers and conventional practitioners is also urgently required.