Bringing traditional cures into Uganda’s health system

Jars of seeds and tree bark used in African traditional medicine Copyright: WHO / P. Virot

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<h1>Bringing traditional cures into Uganda’s health system</h1>
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<p>In September 2004, the Ugandan government began to integrate traditional medicine in the national health system by setting up a commission to develop standards and decide which practices should be authorised. Uganda is also one of the first African nations to include traditional healing in its schools’ national curriculum.</p>
<p>In this article, Federica Bianchi explores the reasons why many African countries, are, like Uganda, making moves to institutionalise traditional medicine.</p>
<p>Traditional medicine is often cheaper and easier to access than modern treatments. In Uganda, there is one doctor for every 18,000 people, but one traditional healer for every 150. But some practices — such as drawing out ‘bad blood’ — are dangerous, and are likely to be regulated against when the government develops its legal framework for traditional medicine.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1013/p06s02-woaf.html" target="_blank" onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to full article in <em>The Christian Science Monitor</em></a></p>

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<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/features/bringing-traditional-cures-into-ugandas-health-sy-ssa/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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In September 2004, the Ugandan government began to integrate traditional medicine in the national health system by setting up a commission to develop standards and decide which practices should be authorised. Uganda is also one of the first African nations to include traditional healing in its schools’ national curriculum.

In this article, Federica Bianchi explores the reasons why many African countries, are, like Uganda, making moves to institutionalise traditional medicine.

Traditional medicine is often cheaper and easier to access than modern treatments. In Uganda, there is one doctor for every 18,000 people, but one traditional healer for every 150. But some practices — such as drawing out ‘bad blood’ — are dangerous, and are likely to be regulated against when the government develops its legal framework for traditional medicine.

Link to full article in The Christian Science Monitor