Conventional and Traditional Medicine
A Docemus project with the support of SIBioC
On the basis of our former African experiences, especially in the DR of the Congo, Docemus carried out a project in a documentary style titled “Cameroon – Ethno-medicine and Biomedicine in comparison” (italian only).
The basic idea of the mission in Cameroon was to investigate the existence of traditional systems of medical care (o treatment), widespread and deeply rooted, as an alternative to conventional medicine. As a consequence, the activity has sought to highlight the importance in the diagnosis and guidance to the therapy in order to ensure that the Analytical Laboratory, also equipped with basic instrumentation, can offer in an environment characterised by shortage of resources.
In Africa, according to WHO, 80% of the population uses traditional systems of medical care, possibly before turning to conventional medicine. In Cameroon health – be it public, private, or traditional – is charged. Another critical issue encountered is the lack of an effective coded pharmacopoeia of the products used in traditional medicine and of an evident health anarchism, despite decades of attempts of systematization promoted by all major national and international organisations of health reference.
The course consists of 35 video-documentary interviews with medical personnel, researchers, traditional healers, patients, and many portraits. The work (by Mario Trave for Docemus) has been possible thanks to the support of Dr. Rachel Kamgaing, Lab Manager of CIRCB – Centre International de Référence Chantal Biya pour la recherche sur la prévention et la prise en charge du VIH/SIDA (International Centre of Reference Chantal Biya for the research on the prevention and the treatment of the HIV/AIDS).
Watch the video: Cameroon – A matter of choice
Below is a brief report of the mission (italian only):
Cameroun report 2012 (78.6 KiB)
