Health Libr Rev. 2000 Dec; 17(4): 203-8.

Improving the provision of traditional health knowledge for rural communities in Ghana.

Yeboah T.

Medical and Health Sciences Librarian, University of Namibia, Private Bag 13301, 240 Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue, Windhoek, Namibia. tyeboah@mail.unam.na

In Ghana many rural illiterate people practise traditional medicine and spread their knowledge through oral communication among themselves. This paper observes that traditional health information which freely circulates, and is actively disseminated by healers in rural communities greatly contributes to the knowledge for preparing home remedies and other traditional interventions. Oral communication can give rise to inaccurate and even dangerous information where charlatans can penetrate and operate within the health system. The Danfa project, which involved verbal teaching of modern health techniques to illiterate herbalists, and educating villagers about improved traditional medical practices, is described as a success story of information provision for illiterates. The experience is applied to propose the modification of some training programmes under the Ministry of Health to produce traditional health care information providers. Repackaged information and the public media are recommended as the most effective method of transferring knowledge to those unable to read.