Traditional healers and diabetes: results from a pilot project to train traditional healers to provide health education and appropriate health care practices for diabetes patients in Cameroon

Abstract

In resource-limited countries where the challenge of diabetes management is especially severe, there has been a recent call for the inclusion of traditional healers in the fight against diabetes. In response, some researchers have highlighted the dangers of incorporating traditional healers while others, have presented them as a potential asset to the health care system if well trained and guided. We report here on a pilot intervention to include traditional healers in the health promotion and prevention efforts for diabetes in Cameroon, as part of the Cameroon Burden of Diabetes (CAMBoD) project. We trained 106 healers in a range of topics and practices relating to diabetes prevention and care. Eight months later we carried out a field evaluation of 36 of them using in-depth semi-structured interviews and direct observation methods to find out if they remembered and applied the learning from the training. Most healers recalled and were applying some of the lessons learnt, including referral of patients for blood glucose tests at biomedical health facilities, desisting from scarifying patients with diabetes, and educating their patients, peers and other people in their communities about diabetes. Healers were enthusiastic about collaboration with the diabetes control program, though some wanted additional responsibilities. We conclude that healers could learn prevention strategies of diabetes relatively rapidly and collaborate in health promotion.