Education and Development of Traditional Health Practitioners in isiZulu to Promote their Collaboration with Public Health Care Workers

The African Union has declared 2001-2010 the Decade of African Traditional Medicine (ATM). This declaration has been supported by a call from the World Health Organization, and the African National Congress, for the integration of ATM into the National Health Care System, in the context that communities are allowed to choose whom to consult for their health care needs. In order to facilitate collaboration between traditional health practitioners (THPs) and public health care workers (HCWs), we have developed a cutting edge project focused on establishing a district healthbased collaboration between provincial and local authority clinics and THPs. To achieve this, it was necessary to develop training materials in isiZulu to capacitate THPs to document, monitor and evaluate their interaction with patients, and for the referral of patients to these clinics. The training programme is designed to facilitate a meaningful two-way participation between THPs and the clinics. The original materials were developed in South African English by biomedical practitioners in consultation with THPs. These were then translated into isiZulu for purposes of facilitating understanding, promoting ownership, and direction of the process by THPs. The programme has resulted in the empowerment and commitment of THPs Nceba Gqaleni, et al. 296 to document their own work in their own language which has a long oral tradition. This has further promoted understanding between THPs and HCWs. Patients can now freely consult THPs and receive health information from them in their own language and, when necessary, be referred to clinics and social workers to access services not rendered by THPs. This process has bridged the gap between the two health systems allayed myths and misconceptions or prejudice each system had about each other that has been a stumbling block to collaboration.