African Indigenous Medicine Activities in Mbarara Municipality, Uganda

Abstract

According to the National Council of Traditional Healers and Herbalists Associations of Uganda (NCTHHA), African indigenous medicine refers to „ways of protecting and restoring health that existed before the arrival of modern medicine with medicinal plants being the world‟s oldest known health-care products‟. AIM is perceived to be more „natural and safer‟ than conventional therapies and is an important and often underestimated part of prevention and treatment health services. AIM, of proven quality, safety, and efficacy, contribute to the goals of ensuring that all people have access to care. is care that is close to their homes, accessible and affordable. It is also culturally acceptable and trusted by large numbers of people. The affordability of most AIM makes them all the more attractive at a time of soaring health-care costs and nearly universal austerity. AIM also stands out as a way of coping with relentless rise of chronic non-communicable diseases. It should however be noted that in spite of the importance of AIM to the health of the people, it raises questions of safety and quality. There are reports that quack African indigenous healers have taken advantage of desperate and hapless patients. Consequently, there is an urge to develop legal and policy frameworks to regulate the activities of indigenous African medical practices.