PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH AND INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNTIES AND TRADITIONAL HEALERS

  

PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH AND INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNTIES AND TRADITIONAL HEALERS

2.1       PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH APPROACHES FOR

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION

Main Problem:

·          Lack of community participation

Objectives:

·          To promote community participation in research

Strategies:

·      Develop and implement participatory research methodologies (PRM).

Constraints:

·     Research not user friendly

·     No feed back from researchers

·     Lack of community involvement

·     Fear of exploitation

·     Lack of flexibility and compromise

·     Mistrust by Traditional Medical practitioners on research

·     Lack of cultural sensitivity by researchers

·     Poorly trained researchers

            Activities:

·     Community workshops on research

·     Preliminary and continuous consultations with communities

·     Training and capacity building to empower communities

·     Identification of problems and possible solutions in conjunction with community.

            Actors:

·     Researchers

·     Traditional healers

·     Traditional leaders

2.2       INVOLVEMENT OF COMMUNITIES AND RESEARCH

ACTIVITIES IN RESEARCH ON TRADITIONAL AND

CONVENTION/ORTHODOX MEDICINE

                        MAIN PROBLEMS:

·     Communities are not given a role in the initiation of research activities (both for Traditional and Conventional medicine).

·     Communities are used to legitimate research activities and research institutions to the benefit of researchers and institutions NOT for the benefit of communities.

·     Communities are even less involved in research activities concerning conventional medicine.

·     Community and individual contributions to research activities are typically not acknowledged by researchers and research institutions (there is a lack of respect).

            OBJECTIVES:

·     Involve the community in research and promote the respect by researchers of the communities when researching traditional conventional medicine.

·     Give the communities the ability to know and understand the activities of research institutions.

·     Compensation for traditional knowledge.

            STRATEGIES:

·     Use ethical principles for community involvement in research activities.

·     Liaison between traditional and conventional medical personnel in research  activities where there is true equitable treatment.

·     Bring traditional healers into research institutions to understand and validate the processes there.

·     Inform traditional healers of research findings and allow them to review findings before publication.

·     Identify Who, How and How much compensation should take place.

            OBSTRUCTIONS:

·     Ambitions of researchers and research institutions.

·     Attitudes of western researchers and research institutions towards Africa (Neo-colonialism).

·     Lack of exposure of poor research by the media and co-researchers.

·     Poor oversight of research activities by research institutions and their lack of proper research protocol.

·     Political tensions which affect research access.

·     Lack of gender and culturally sensitivity by researchers.

·     Lack of education on the part of local communities about their rights concerning research activities.

            ACTIVITIES:

·     Deposit of research data, findings and reports into a repository for local communities.

·     Creation of a national research council and national research policy concerning research activities in countries where lacking.

·     Research activities should be negotiated and contracted for local community involvement (local communities get a contract).

·     All proposed research activities should clearly motivate the value of the activity for the local community.

·     Education of local communities on their rights and ability to be compensated (including the right to say `no’ to researchers).

·     Create a platform for continuous interaction between traditional healers and conventional medicine.

            MAIN ACTORS:

·     Local communities

·     Traditional healers

·     Western medical personnel

·     Researchers

·     Research institutions

·     Government structures

·     NGOs, CBOs and donors

·     Industry

2.3       VALIDATION (LABORATORY) OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE/ MEDICAL

PREPARATIONS AND PRACTICES

REASONS FOR VALIDATION:    To confirm the claimed efficiency of the

preparations in Traditional medicine practice.

Problems:

·          There is need for validation of Traditional medical practices so that

 this sector can get a rightful place in the healthcare system.

           

            Objectives:

·     To establish scientific basis for the use of traditional medicine

·     To promote a wider use of traditional medicine.

·     Scientific/:

2.4       PREPARATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF WRITTEN NATIONAL

PHARMACOPEA OF MEDICINAL PLANTS THROUGH INVOLVEMENT

OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS

DEFINITIONS:

Pharmacopoeia: - Different types in existence i.e. including different types of                                      information and different modes of development

2 major types can be identified:

n Analytical pharmacopoeia

n very detailed information on the phytochemical and biological  properties

n developed through extensive laboratory experimentation and analysis

e.g. includes tissue-level and the “weight of burnt matter/ashes”

n Traditional pharmacopoeia

n based largely on the documentation of traditional knowledge available on both the biological characteristics as well as the uses of the plants & support of the information through additional scientific data

Main Problem:

n Lack of comprehensive/ written national; pharmacopoeia

Objectives:

n To establish a broadly accessible pharmacopoeia to assist all those concerned with medicinal plants.

Strategies:

n Starting point!: refer to the African pharmacopoeia developed under the auspices of the OAU;

n refer to other sources of relevant information: i.e. existing traditional documents

n devise a multidisciplinary approach in the gathering/ analysis of information

n national-level coordination of ongoing activities

n identification of core/ essential data required

n identification of available resources (including human, financial, technical/ infrastructural)

Activities:

n Establish a coordinating body/ “steering committee”

n Establish a multidisciplinary research team

n Evaluate the OAU pharmacopoeia’s relevance/ adequacy for the country (e.g. in terms of species coverage; coverage of the major applications of the various plants)

n Identify and collect key sources of other relevant information (databases; other pharmacopoeia)

n Convene key actors involved: through a national workshop/ meeting

n to identify key areas for research

n to agree on and implement the national work plan

n to set up regional groups

Main Actors:

A. Formal sector organizations/

1.  Research institutions/ Universities

2.  NGOs with specific objectives; interests; activities relevant to medicinal plants

3.  Community/ state herbaria

4.  Government bodies/ parastatals

5.  Pharmaceutical compan ies

6.  Hospitals and clinics

B. Specialists/ community members

7.  Mothers

8.  Traditional healers

9.  Ethnopharmacologist/  Ethnobotanists/ Medical anthropologist

10. Medical doctors; nurses

11. Public health workers/ practitioners (involved in preventive/ primary health care)

12. Botanists/ Taxonomists/ Ecologists/ Agronomist

13. Phytochemists/ Pharmocologist/ Toxicologists

14. “Documentalists”; (information technology expertise)

Recommendation:

·      Establish a coordinating body/ “steering committee”

·      Establish a multidisciplinary research team

·      Evaluate the OAU pharmacopoeia’s relevance/adequacy for the country (e.g. in terms of species coverage; coverage of the major applications of the various plants)

·      Identify and collate key sources of other relevant information (databases; other pharmacopoeia)

·      Convene key actors involved : through a national workshop/meeting

·      to identify key areas for research

·      to agree on and implement the national work plan to set up regional groups

2.5       BIOPIRACY, BIO-DIVERSITY PROSPECTING & CONSERVATION IN

THE DISTRIBUTION OF BENEFITS FROM TRADITIONAL MEDICINES

Main Problems:

n Unequitable distribution and exchange of benefits from bioprospecting.

Objectives:

n Equitable terms of trade

n Biodiversity conservation

Strategies:

n Increase awareness (consumers and communities)

n Develop negotiating capacity

n Develop benefit sharing models

n Develop multilateral agreements

n Develop incentives for biodervisty conservations

Activites:

n National, regional and local awareness campaign (government, public & private sector) economic and financial, - rights information

n Establish process for assistance - negotiation and legal

n Survey & analize benefit sharing case studies

n Review existing legislation and international obligations and implement policy reform

n Regional Pharmonisation of policy & legislation

n Green labels and standards in companies

n Pressure groups in communties

n Increase value - added production at local and international level

n Promote cultivation by local commercial growers

n Monitoring biodiversity

Constraints:

n Lack of resources - technical, financial and human

n Trade research and surveys

n Lack of political will

n Community property rights

n Fragmentation of stakeholders (inter & intra national)

Main Indicators:

n Number of sharing models adopted

n Legislation adopted

n Number of value added (national enterprises)

n Number of protocals/ agreements adopted

n Number of agronomic practices adopted

n Threatened species registered.

Recommendations:

·      To establish equitable terms of trade pertaining to medicinal plants.

·      Develop benefit sharing models.

·       Increasing value-addition production of plyto-medicines at local and regional levels.