Thipanyane, M.P.; Nomatshila, S.C.; Musarurwa, H.T.; Oladimeji, O. The Roles and Challenges of Traditional Health Practitioners in Maternal Health Services in Rural Communities of Mthatha, South Africa. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2022, 19, 13597.
Thipanyane, M.P.; Nomatshila, S.C.; Musarurwa, H.T.; Oladimeji, O. The Roles and Challenges of Traditional Health Practitioners in Maternal Health Services in Rural Communities of Mthatha, South Africa. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 13597.
Thipanyane, M.P.; Nomatshila, S.C.; Musarurwa, H.T.; Oladimeji, O. The Roles and Challenges of Traditional Health Practitioners in Maternal Health Services in Rural Communities of Mthatha, South Africa. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health2022, 19, 13597.
Thipanyane, M.P.; Nomatshila, S.C.; Musarurwa, H.T.; Oladimeji, O. The Roles and Challenges of Traditional Health Practitioners in Maternal Health Services in Rural Communities of Mthatha, South Africa. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2022, 19, 13597.
Abstract
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 pur-posefully 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 sub-themes. 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. THPs' wide range of services allowed pregnant women to receive prenatal, antenatal, and postnatal care in close proximity. This level of care, however, was characterized by high levels of secrecy and counterfeit practitioners who used human body parts, which jeopardized the practice and made it unpopular. Traditional health practice must be protected through registration of THPs and the establishment of functional referral pathways between THPs and conventional health services.
Keywords
Traditional practitioners; maternal health; roles; challenges; rural
Subject
Social Sciences, Behavior Sciences
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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