PearlRichards Response to Traditional Medicine Challenges

Traditional medicine is the sum total of knowledge, skills and practices based on the theories, beliefs and experiences indigenous to different cultures that are used to maintain health, as well as to prevent, diagnose, improve or treat physical and mental illnesses.

Challenges According to WHO Fact Sheet No. 134

Traditional medicine has been used in some communities for thousands of years. As traditional medicine practices are adopted by new populations there are challenges.

  1. International diversity
  2. National policy and regulation
  3. Safety, effectiveness and quality
  4. Knowledge and sustainability
  5. Patient safety and use

Read the Fact Sheet

WHO response

WHO and its Member States cooperate to promote the use of traditional medicine for health care. The collaboration aims to:

  • support and integrate traditional medicine into national health systems in combination with national policy and regulation for products, practices and providers to ensure safety and quality;
  • ensure the use of safe, effective and quality products and practices, based on available evidence;
  • acknowledge traditional medicine as part of primary health care, to increase access to care and preserve knowledge and resources; and
  • ensure patient safety by upgrading the skills and knowledge of traditional medicine providers.

The PearlRichards Foundation Response

PearlRichards will use multimedia technologies to promote and educate Africans on traditional medicine and advocate for policies and funding to support the research, development and protection (intellectual property) of traditional medicine. Our response will be communicated in a number of initiatives including:

  1. Establish an Information and Resource Center for Traditional Medicine to educate, promote and disseminate information on traditional medicine products, standards and research. The information center will also serve as a museum for traditional medicine and amusement center for kids to interactively learn about health care and traditional medicine.
  2. Use storytelling - comics and electronic games - as an edutainment platform to communicate issues concerning the traditional medicine.
  3. Organize seminars and workshops to educate, encourage research and standardization of traditional medicine and promote its use in health care.