By Thabisani Dube
Harare, Zimbabwe – As the country grapples with the growing burden of cancer, a number of people are turning to traditional healers for alternative treatments, raising concerns among modern medical practitioners about the safety and efficacy of these practices.
However, the traditional medicine community is pushing back, highlighting the positive impact of their treatments and calling for greater recognition and support.
The Zimbabwe National Traditional Healers Association (ZINATHA), the country’s largest organisation of traditional practitioners, has long been a fixture in the healthcare landscape, with its members offering a range of treatments for various ailments, including cancer.
According to George Kandiero, ZINATHA president, some of the most common traditional cancer treatments used by their members include herbal remedies and spiritual cleansing rituals.
“While we can’t name common herbs used in the treatment of cancer, what I can say is that we have herbs that seek to rectify the abnormalities in the cells,” Kandiero explains. “The process is to make sure no new cells are damaged and also the body’s metabolism seeks to rectify the problem itself by building the immune system.”
Kandiero further elaborates, saying, “The scourge that attacks cancer patients, whichever cancer – either breast, cervical, spinal, blood, or even prostate – the process is to make sure no new cells are damaged and also the body’s metabolism seeks to rectify the problem itself by building the immune system.”
As ZINATHA, Kandiero says the organisation has a research department that plays a crucial role in ensuring the safety of their treatments. “When someone claims to help with the treatment of cancer, we then submit the concoctions or herbs used in the treatment of cancer to ensure that they are safe.”
Kandiero also addresses the long history of traditional cancer treatments in Zimbabwe, stating, “Cancer has always been there, inonzi nhuta, and from long back, people have been helped in the treatment of cancer, and medicines have been used for many years and are known. If they were dangerous or poisonous to someone’s health, we would be hearing so many reports of people dying.”
He acknowledges the challenges faced by the traditional medicine sector, saying: “It’s, unfortunate that this sector of medicine is looked down upon, but there are many people who are being helped with these medicines – up to about 85 percent of people use traditional medicine.”
Kandiero emphasises the need for more recognition and support for the traditional medicine sector, stating: “We need more coverage from the media on our side. We do a lot in the health sector, and we have rural people benefitting from us. It’s time we are given credit where it is due and recognition as well, to feel that we are positive in healing, not negative.”
The government has also played a role in regulating the traditional medicine sector, with Kandiero explaining: “This is why the government instituted an Act of Parliament for traditional medicine and ensured that an institution such as ZINATHA can ensure that we have free and thorough regulation.”
Kandiero notes that traditional medicine is particularly beneficial for rural people who may not be able to afford the high costs of hospital treatment. “Many rural people are benefitting from us because they can’t manage the monies charged in hospitals.”
As the debate over the role of traditional medicine in cancer treatment continues, healthcare providers and policymakers in Zimbabwe are grappling with the need to find a balance between respecting cultural practices and ensuring the safety and efficacy of all treatment options available to patients.
New Ziana