adminMidlands Correspondent
MIDLANDS Provincial Medical Director Dr Milton Chemhuru has challenged traditional and faith healers who claim to have a cure for HIV/Aids to come in the open.
He said the healers should cure patients on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) across the country to validate their claims. There is no known cure for the disease to date.
Dr Chemhuru was speaking at a three-day workshop organised by Sadc in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Care and National Aids Council (Nac). The workshop ends in Gweru today.
He lamented the increase in traditional and faith healers who claim to be curing the deadly disease arguing that such claims are retrogressive in the fight against HIV and Aids.
He said: “You (traditional healers) must be careful when conducting your business because of all the patients that seek your assistance, 80 percent are HIV positive. However, we note with concern claims by some traditional healers and faith healers who claim to have a cure for HIV/Aids. If there are any such healers, government is challenging them to come forward and cure patients that are on ART treatment in the country.”
Dr Chemhuru advised traditional and faith healers to refer HIV positive patients to health institutions for them to be put on ART treatment.
He warned individuals who make baseless claims of treating Aids that they will face the wrath of the law.
Said Dr Chemhuru: “Government will not hesitate to take legal action against individuals making baseless and false claims of treating HIV and Aids. As government we feel it is retrogressive in the fight against HIV/Aids to have people who fleece innocent patients of their money by making baseless claims of having a cure for HIV/Aids.”
The seminars seek to engage traditional and faith healers in the fight against HIV and Aids and other diseases through capacity strengthening in governance and compliance with national strategic planning.
Two such workshops have already been held in Masvingo and Mashonaland West.
Dr Chemhuru warned healers to desist from using dangerous methods to heal patients as this could end up in loss of life.
He said: “Traditional healers must employ professional, safe means of treating their patients and desist from using dangerous methods as this may result in unnecessary loss of life. We have received cases of patients suffering malaria failing to recover due to unorthodox traditional medical practices.”
He made these comments amid reports of patients dying while being attended to by faith and traditional healers.
Government through the Ministry of Health and Child Care has made great strides in incorporating the activities of traditional and faith healers through the establishment of the Traditional Medical Practitioners Council which regulates their activities.
According to the board chairperson, Onias Ndoro, the regulatory body has licensed 30,000 traditional healers and faith healers to date.
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