Poor Healthcare Drives Villagers To Traditional Medicine, But How Safe Is It?

Jabula community has resorted to traditional remedies to keep them healthy throughout the Coronavirus pandemic after their nearest clinic shutdown. Image by It Starts With Soccer

by Bokani Mudimba

Amid a global pandemic, the only easily accessible clinic for a Victoria Falls community is shut down, the other alternative has a route exposing people to attacks from wild animals. In all this, primary health care is a pipe dream and traditional medicine is the only option — but how safe is it?

VICTORIA FALLS, October 7, 2020. (The Citizen Bulletin)— THE prevailing COVID-19 pandemic has left Jabula community about 60km outside Victoria Falls town with no access to primary health after a clinic built by an international donor was shut down a few months ago due to lack of medical supplies.

Sizani Moyo, one of Jabula village heads says villagers built Batoka Clinic last year, with the help of a United States based organisation, It Starts with Soccer.

Hundreds of ordinary citizens from six villages who were set to benefit from the clinic have resorted to traditional herbs due to unavailability of a health facility and lack of money.

The clinic was reportedly completed and handed over to the responsible authority, Hwange Rural District Council (HRDC), in August last year but was shut down early this year after the outbreak of COVID-19.

“The donor had supplied some drugs before handing it over to the HRDC. We were shocked when it was closed under unclear circumstances leaving people without access to proper health. The HRDC says it has no money to run the clinic which is really worrying to us,” says Moyo the village head.

The donor had pledged to supply more medicines but because of COVID-19 everything was stopped.

Jabula community depends largely on tourism as the majority of villagers were either employed in various companies in the resort town or survived on village tourism selling curios and other traditional artefacts including herbs.

File image: Jabula community largely depends on, among other things selling curios. Image by Bokani Mudimba | The Citizen Bulletin

The closure of the tourism industry and subsequent loss of jobs has left many families with no disposable income to pay for healthcare.

Moyo explains how people turned to traditional herbs.

“With no money to go to hospital in Victoria Falls the only option were locally available herbs such as herbal tea, lemon grass, garlic, ginger and a variety of common tree roots, barks and leaves for common colds, flu, headache and stomach aches,” says Moyo.

Zimbabwe’s first confirmed COVID-19 case was reported in Victoria Falls in March, making the community a high risk area. The risk was further exacerbated by lack of local health facilities.

The nearest Lukunguni Clinic is about 20km away in the neighbouring community, but there is no road connecting it to the community save for a small path through the wildlife infested animal corridor.

Some people including a village head have been attacked while walking to the clinic.

It Starts With Soccer representative Nyika Muyambo says the organisation was affected by COVID-19 but would still want to assist the community.

Officials have claimed that Batoka Clinic was closed because it was not registered.

“As for the clinic, I guess something was wrong in the first place and I hope something is being done by local authorities to make sure the clinic is properly registered,” Hwange District Medical Officer Dr Fungai Mvura says.

The issue exposes the government for failing to provide primary healthcare to citizens in line with the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights which reiterates universal access to health as the most central part of human life.

Zimbabwe is signatory to several health treaties, including the April 2001 Abuja Declaration where African governments should commit at least 15 percent of national annual budget to health but still lags behind as allocation has remained around 9 percent.

The gap is the reason some communities still have no access to universal healthcare hence they resort to traditional medicines.

Good health and wellbeing is top priority and ranks 3rd on the Sustainable Development Goals. While research on herbs is not conclusive, for Jabula community traditional remedies have kept them healthy throughout the pandemic.

Experts however, say while herbal medicines are good for health and may help address some symptoms of COVID-19, they cannot prevent, treat or cure the coronavirus.

“Every medicine has side effects which is why drugs are prescribed by a professional. I encourage people to use remedies that are recommended and prescribed.”
Dr Fungai Mvura, Hwange District Medical Officer

International Traditional Healers Association (ITHA) president David Mhabhinyana Ngwenya argues that some of the herbs need a proper prescription as they cause drastic side effects or death if wrongfully used.

Health experts say traditional herbs cannot prevent, treat or cure Coronavirus and can cause drastic side effects. Image by Wikipedia

Herbs commonly used vary with places and usually people burn and sniff or make solutions from tree roots, barks and leaves to drink for stomach pains, headaches, colds, flu, fever, immune boosting and to clean blood.

The HRDC had employed two nurses who were relocated after closure of the clinic.

“Efforts are being made to get it back. We need a sustainable supply of medicines and other clinical equipment to reopen,” says Modern Mapani of HRDC.

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