PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH AND INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNTIES AND TRADITIONAL HEALERS

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PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH AND INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL COMMUNTIES AND TRADITIONAL HEALERS                                                    

2.1 PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH APPROACHES FOR COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION (CAPITALS)

Main Problem:

n Lack of community participation

Objectives:

n To promote community participation in research

Strategies:

n To develop and implement participatory research methodologies (PRM)

Constraints:

n Research not user friendly

n No feed back from researchers

n Lack of community involvement

n Fear of exploitation

n Lack of flexibility and compromise

n Mistrust by Traditional Medical practitioner on research

n Lack of cultural sensitivity by researchers

n Poorly trained researchers

Activities:

n Community workshops focused on research

n Preliminary and continuous consultations with communities

n Training and capacity building to empower communities

n Identification of problems and possible solutions in conjunction with community

Actors:

n Researchers

n Traditional healers

n Traditional leaders

2.2. Involvement of communities and researchers (capitals) in researching traditional and conventional/ orthodox medicine

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Main Problem:

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

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

n Communities are even less involved in research activities concerning conventional medicine

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

Objectives:

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

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

n Compensation for traditional knowledge

Strategies:

n Use ethical principals for community involvement in research activities

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

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

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

n Identify Who, How and How much compensation should take place

Obstructions:

n Ambitions of researchers and research institutions

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

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

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

n Political tensions which effect research access

n Lack of gender and cultural sensitivity by researchers

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

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Activities:

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

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

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

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

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

Main Actors:

n Local communities

n Traditional healers

n Western medical personnel

n Researchers

n Researchers institutions

n Government structures

n NGOs, CBOs and donors

n Industry

2.3 Validation (laboratory) of Traditional medicine/ medical preparations and practices (capitals)

REASON FOR VALIDATION: To confirm the claimed efficacy of the preparations in Traditional medical practices.

Problems:

n There is need for validation of Traditional medical practices so that this sector can get rightful place in the healthcare system

Objectives:

n To establish scientific basis for the use of traditional medicine

n To promote a wider use of traditional medicine

n Scientific: repeatable

Strategies:

n To develop acceptable methods to validate traditional medicine

n To win confidence of Traditional medical practitioners

Constraints:

n Lack of facilities suitable for validation of traditional medicines

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n Lack of protocols for ethical procedures

n Lack of legal protection of property rights

n Lack of information from the side of traditional medical practitioners on the:

n preparation methods

n collection methods

n posology/ dosages

n constraindications/ Aetiology

n mechanism of action of the preparations

n toxicity/ antidote

n Lack of collaboration among the stakeholders

Activities:

n Establish and enable anenable enviroment for exchange of information

n legal aspects

n benefits

n seminars

n workshops

n Protection of IPR

n Collection & documentation of methods for validation of traditional medical practitioners

n Development of validation methods by the Traditional healers

n lab

n physic

n clinical

n subclinical

n customary

Main Actors:

n Traditional medical practitioners

n Community/ patients

n Biomedic

n Researchers

n Governments

n Public & private organizations

n NGOs

n Funding agencies

n Students

2.4 Preparation and development of written national pharmacopea of medicinal plants through involvement of all stakeholders

DEFINITIONS:

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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)

Constraints/ Needs:

n Achieving national level coordination: a challenging undertaking in itself! Many different actors and interest groups in existence…

n Too many species to be addressed: need for prioritization!

n Documentation technology/ expertise and facilities may be inadequate or lacking

n A large amount of information necessary

n Overall: a time consuming endeavor!

Activities:

n Establish a coordinating body/ “steering committee”

n Establish a multidisciplinary research team

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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 companies

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)

2.5 Biopiracy, bio-diversity prospecting & conservation in the distribution of benefits from Traditional Medicines (capitals)

Main Problems:

n Unequitable distribution and exchange of benefits from bioprospecting.

Objectives:

n Equitable terms of trade

n Biodiversity conservation

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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.