Health minister to host traditional medicine conference

Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, the health minister, is to host an international conference on African traditional medicine tomorrow and on Wednesday.

In a media statement, the health department said one of the primary objectives of the conference is to look into the role to be played by traditional medicine in the implementation of the Comprehensive Plan for HIV and Aids.

The plan promotes support for traditional medicine and integration of traditional healing methods into the comprehensive care and treatment programme. The conference further aims to highlight the role of the National Reference Centre for African Traditional Medicine (NRCATM) and discuss strategies to gear the NRCATM to health care service delivery.

The theme for the conference is "Mainstreaming African Traditional Medicines into Health Care Delivery". The conference will be addressed by both local and foreign speakers, including traditional health practitioners and scientists. - Sapa