The Roles and Challenges of Traditional Health Practitioners in Maternal Health Services in Rural Communities of Mthatha, South Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15484135 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mvulakazi Patricia Thipanyane (Walter Sisulu University, corresponding author), Sibusiso C Nomatshila (0000-0003-4130-0707, Walter Sisulu University), Hannibal Musarurwa (0000-0002-5554-481X, Walter Sisulu University), Olanrewaju Oladimeji (0000-0002-5356-901X, Walter Sisulu University) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 20 |
| Pages | 13597-13597 |
| Publication date | 2022-10-20 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph192013597 |
| PMID | 36294175 |
| OpenAlex | W4306926010 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 26 |
Traditional health practitioners (THPs) are considered as the entry level of care in African societies and play an important role in the delivery of health services to the population. A phenomenological qualitative study was carried out among purposefully selected THPs in Mthatha to understand their roles and the challenges they face in providing maternal health services. The study included a focus group discussion with seven participants which yielded three themes and seven subthemes. The content analysis of descriptive data from the focus group discussion revealed threats posed by unregistered and counterfeit THPs to the lives of pregnant women in rural settings. The THPs' wide range of services allowed pregnant women to receive prenatal, antenatal, and postnatal care in proximity. However, this community level of care was marked by high levels of secrecy and counterfeit practitioners who used human body parts, which compromised the practice and rendered it unpopular. The South African government recommended the establishment of a register for THPs in order to protect the public, including the clarification of functional referral pathways between THPs and conventional health services
Counterfeit · Environmental health · Family medicine · Focus group · Government (linguistics · Health care · Political science · Population · Public health · Qualitative research · Referral · Secrecy · Sociology · Complementary and Alternative Medicine Studies · Ethnobotanical and Medicinal Plants Studies · Global Maternal and Child Health · Medicine · Nursing
Use of traditional and complementary health practices in prenatal, delivery and postnatal care in the context of hiv transmission from mother to child (PMTCT) in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
Traditional medicine development for medical and dental primary health care delivery system in Africa
Perceptions of Pregnant Women on Traditional Health Practices in a Rural Setting in South Africa
Indigenous Healing Practices in Malawi
Practices of Traditional Birth Attendants in Machakos District, Kenya
Communication Between Traditional Medical Practitioners and Western Medical Professionals
Traditional Medicine and Pregnancy Management
Assessment of Indigenous Knowledge and Practices during Pregnancy, Labour and Delivery in Selected Villages of the Limpopo Province, South Africa
The traditional healer in obstetric care
Collaboration Between Traditional Practitioners and Primary Health Care Staff in South Africa
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2025 (2) |
| Highly cited | No |