Traditional Health Practitioners' and Other Community Members' Perceptions of Vultures in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Mbali Mashele ◽  
Lindy J. Thompson ◽  
Colleen T. Downs
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Cultural Beliefs ◽  
Conservation Education ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Practitioners

ABSTRACT African vulture populations are currently in rapid decline, due to a range of anthropogenic factors. These include intentional and unintentional poisoning; degradation, fragmentation, and loss of habitat; and the killing of vultures to obtain body parts for use in traditional medicine. Consequently, people living in rural communities adjacent to protected areas may have a negative or positive impact on their local vulture populations, and so understanding their attitudes towards vultures is imperative. We surveyed Traditional Health Practitioners (those who may [unlawfully] acquire vulture parts for use in traditional medicine) and other community members (those who are not Traditional Health Practitioners but who might use traditional medicine containing vulture body parts) to understand how they perceive vultures and the cultural beliefs associated with vultures in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region, South Africa. We conducted 248 structured interviews with 197 community members and 51 Traditional Health Practitioners in nine villages in the Bushbuckridge Local Municipality, Mpumalanga Province, adjacent to protected areas. Our results showed that community members and Traditional Health Practitioners regarded vultures as beneficial to them for ecosystem services, as a cultural resource, and as a means of generating income. Community members and Traditional Health Practitioners generally had positive attitudes toward vultures, and community members were more inclined than Traditional Health Practitioners to like vultures. Both groups of respondents expressed a fear of vultures because of their aggressive feeding behavior and their physical appearance. Our results highlighted that vultures in our study area are traded and used in traditional medicines for various purposes. Contrary to what was previously thought, vultures are indeed used in traditional medicine close to the Kruger National Park. Our interviewees expressed a desire to learn more about vultures, and this could be a starting point to increase conservation education for these species. There is a need to raise awareness of vulture population declines among all community members in Bushbuckridge and to highlight the human health risks of using poison for pest control.

Knowledge and documentation of patient health information among traditional health practitioners in urban and peri-urban areas of eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa

2019 ◽  
pp. 183335831989047
Author(s):  
Tracy Zhandire ◽  
Nceba Gqaleni ◽  
Mlungisi Ngcobo ◽  
Exnevia Gomo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Logistic Regression ◽  
Traditional Medicine ◽  
Health Information ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Number Of Patients ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Patient Health

Background: Documentation of patient health information (PHI) is a regulatory requirement and hence a standard procedure in allopathic healthcare practice. The opposite is true for African traditional medicine (ATM) in most African countries, including South Africa, despite legal and policy frameworks that recognise and mandate the institutionalisation of ATM. Developing good practice standards for PHI documentation is an essential step in the institutionalisation of ATM. Objective: This study examined the knowledge and practices of documentation of PHI by traditional health practitioners (THPs) in Durban, eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa. Methods: In this quantitative cross-sectional study, snowball sampling was used to identify and recruit THPs. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to gather data. Chi-square tests and logistic regression were used to assess associations of knowledge and practice of documentation of PHI with potential predictors; age, gender, education, type of practitioner, experience, number of patients seen per day and location of the practice. Results: Of the 248 THPs who participated, 71.8% were female. Mean (SD) age was 47.4 (14.2), ranging 18–81 years. The majority (65.7%) were Izangoma (diviners). Overall, 42.9% of the THPs reported knowledge of patient medical records (PMRs). In logistic regression, only number of patients seen per day remained a significant predictor of knowledge about PMR. THPs who reported seeing 6–10 patients were five times more likely (Odds Ratio (OR): 5.164, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.270–20.996; p = 0.022) to report knowledge of PMR than those seeing <6 patients per day. Overall, 25.0% of THPs reported that they were documenting some PHI. Documentation was associated with having knowledge of PMR (OR: 29.323, 95% CI: 10.455–82.241; p < 0.0001) and being an Isangoma (OR: 3.251, 95% CI: 1.092–9.679; p = 0.02). Not knowing what (56.5%) and how (50.5%) to record were the most commonly cited reasons for not documenting. Conclusion: Knowledge of PMR is low, and the practice of documenting PHI is even lower among THPs in eThekwini. That knowledge of PMR was a strong predictor of documentation practice, and the most common reason for not documenting was lack of knowledge about what and how to document suggests that training could improve PHI documentation in traditional medicine practice.

scholarly journals Core competencies acquired in indigenous training of traditional health practitioners in Kwazulu-Natal

1970 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 3100-3106
Author(s):  
Mbatha Nompumelelo ◽  
Exnevia Gomo ◽  
Nceba Gqaleni ◽  
Mlungisi Ngcobo
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Spiritual Development ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Core Competencies ◽  
Sequential Data ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Kwazulu Natal ◽  
Health Practitioners

Introduction: Despite the recognition of Traditional Medicine systems as a critical component of health care by the WHO and the African Union, its integration into the health care mainstream remains very subdued in South Africa. This is partly due to the lack of empirical data pertinent to traditional healer training that could inform the accreditation process. Objective: To determine core competencies acquired by Traditional Health Practitioners (THP) of KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa during their apprenticeship. Materials and methods: Purposeful, convenient and snowballing sampling and the sequential data collection methods of questionnaires, journaling and focus groups was used to collect data from the THP tutors and their trainees in rural, peri-urban and urban areas of eThekwini and uThungulu Districts of Kwa Zulu Natal (KZN). Results: Eleven core competencies were identified: consultation, diagnoses, holistic patient care and treatment, integrative and holistic healing, application of healing procedures and cultural rituals, spiritual development, ethical competencies, problem solving, herbalism, ancestral knowledge and end of life care. Conclusion: The apprenticeship of THPs in KZN is based on eleven core competencies. These competencies are fundamental pillars for critical health care provided by THPs and are crucial for setting standards for the accreditation of traditional training in South Africa if the THP Act 22 of 2007 is to achieve its purpose of providing for the management of and control over the registration, training and conduct of the practitioners. Hence, the appointed interim THP Council should include the identified competencies when articulating bases for accreditation of the training and assessments.Keywords: Indigenous training, traditional health practitioners, Kwazulu-Natal.

scholarly journals Evidence-based recommendations to facilitate professional collaboration between allopathic and traditional health practitioners

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel M. Van Rooyen ◽  
Blanche Pretorius ◽  
Nomazwi M. Tembani ◽  
Wilma Ten Ham-Baloyi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Team Work ◽  
Mutual Understanding ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Professional Collaboration ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
Open Communication ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Health Practitioners

Background: Globally, and in South Africa, there is an increased demand for consulting both traditional and allopathic health practitioners. As both health practitioners are working within the same communities, their respective practices could complement or undermine the health of consumers using both health services. Professional collaboration between traditional and allopathic health practitioners is therefore desirable and requires collaboration between the systems, which is currently legislated by the Traditional Health Practitioners Act 22 of 2007. However, in the Eastern Cape, no evidence-based recommendations were found that facilitated the collaborative relationship between the two health practitioner groups.Purpose of the research: To develop evidence-based recommendations aimed at facilitating professional collaboration between allopathic and traditional health practitioners for the benefit of patients.Methodology: Descriptive evidence-based recommendations to enhance professional collaboration between both groups of health practitioners were developed based on focus group interviews with allopathic practitioners (n = 10) and individual interviews with traditional health practitioners (n = 18) (traditional health practitioners (n = 14) and traditional healers who are also allopathic health practitioners (n = 4)) practising in the Amathole District in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Dickoff et al.'s (1968) Survey List wasused as a conceptual framework.Results: Collaboration was hampered by allopathic practitioners demonstrating negative attitudes by not referring patients to traditional practitioners based on lack of knowledge and mutual understanding of each other's practices. Suggestions for collaboration made by both groups resulted in the development of two distinct sets of evidence-based recommendations.The first set of recommendations aims to enhance professional collaboration between both groups of health practitioners. This is done through facilitating mutual understanding based on respect and acceptance between the different practitioners. The second set of recommendations aims to enhance professional collaboration through facilitating open communication between different practitioners.Conclusion: These evidence-based recommendations can be used to facilitate professional collaboration between allopathic and traditional health practitioners resulting in mutual understanding and open communication, enhancing team work in a multi-professional environment, and ultimately leading to improved patient care.

scholarly journals Phytochemical Profile, Safety and Efficacy of a Herbal Mixture Used for Contraception by Traditional Health Practitioners in Ngaka Modiri Molema District Municipality, South Africa

Plants ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 193
Author(s):  
Molelekwa Arthur Moroole ◽  
Simeon Albert Materechera ◽  
Wilfred Otang-Mbeng ◽  
Rose Hayeshi ◽  
Cor Bester ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Contraceptive Efficacy ◽  
Herbal Mixture ◽  
Traditional Health ◽  
Traditional Health Practitioners ◽  
Freeze Dried ◽  
Health Practitioners ◽  
Phytochemical Profile

The use of medicinal plants for contraception remains a common practice among South African ethnic groups. The present study assessed the phytochemical profile, cytotoxicity, acute oral toxicity and efficacy of a herbal mixture used for contraception by the Batswana of South Africa. An aqueous extract was prepared from equal quantities (in terms of weight) of Bulbine frutescens (roots), Helichrysum caespititium (leaves) and Teucrium trifidum (leaves) based on a recipe used by traditional health practitioners. The phytochemical profiles of the freeze-dried herbal mixture were analyzed using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, cytotoxicity was determined using an MTT assay on Vero cells and in vivo contraceptive efficacy was evaluated using seven Sprague Dawley rats per control and treatment groups. The control group received distilled water while test groups received 5, 50 and 300 mg/kg of the herbal mixture, which was administered orally once a day for three consecutive days. Subsequently, female rats were paired 1:1 with males for 3 days. Their weights were measured weekly and incidence of pregnancy was recorded. The GC-MS chromatogram revealed the presence of 12 identified and 9 unidentified compounds. In terms of safety, the herbal mixture had an IC50 value of 755.2 μg/mL and 2000 mg/kg, which was the highest tested dose that caused no mortality or morbidity in the rats. A contraceptive efficacy of 14.5% was exerted with 50 mg/kg herbal mixture extract while other doses had no effects given that all the rats were pregnant. Based on a chi-square test (p < 0.05), there was no correlation between the tested herbal mixture doses and contraception, nor on the weight of the rats. Overall, the herbal mixture extract was found to be safe but had limited contraceptive efficacy at the tested doses. In future studies, exploring increased dose range, solvent extract types and hormonal analysis will be pertinent.

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