Zambia: Building Trust between Traditional Healers and Health Workers in Zambia

In Zambia, traditional healers continue to be a significant source of health care for people in rural areas. John Snow, Inc./ Zambia Integrated Health Program, in collaboration with USAID Zambia, is breaking new ground in fostering innovative cooperation between traditional healers in Zambia and the Zambia Ministry of Health (MOH). The Traditional Health Practitioner's Association of Zambia (THAPAZ), a 50,000-strong association, has joined the MOH to resolve a long-standing pattern of mistrust and suspicion.

Clients waiting to see a traditional healer trained under the Zambia Integrated Health Program

Clients wait to see a traditional healer trained under the Zambia Integrated Health Program.

Through a series of consultative meetings with practicing traditional healers, district health officers, and health center staff in five districts in Zambia, traditional healers have agreed to be trained in timely referral of cases to health centers and in basic information on HIV and AIDS, malaria, child health and nutrition, and tuberculosis. A national training manual for traditional healers, the first of its kind to be sanctioned by both MOH and THAPAZ, was drafted by ZIHP in late 2001 and is now being used nationwide. Using a case-study approach in local Zambian languages, a tag team of traditional healers and health center staff from the same catchments area have been trained and in turn will train other traditional healers and health center staff. This innovative approach to training not only provides technical information with the potential to reduce mortality, it also is building the trust between the two groups and strengthening the social capital of cooperation. So far, 135 traditional healers and 75 health workers have undergone a two-week course.

Zambian community members learning about HIV and AIDS at a community -based World AIDS Day activities

Zambian community members learn about HIV and AIDS at a community-based World AIDS Day event.

After training, the traditional healers distribute condoms in their communities, including the socially-marketed MAXIMUM condoms. They sell chlorine, demonstrate the re treatment of insecticide treated nets, give out and demonstrate the use of oral re hydration salts, provide health education messages in their villages and communities, and will assist health centers during health campaigns. This group of health workers and traditional healers will now form a team that will train other traditional healers in the health center catchments area.