From traditional to universal alternative medicine healer
Dr Mwaka
Dr Juma Mwaka (38) started as a traditional healer and now owns a clinic that specializes in female reproductive system diseases using alternative medicine.
Many of his clients are women who have failed to have children despite the intervention of experts in conventional hospitals. Our Staff Writer LUCAS LUKUMBO interviewed Dr Mwaka, who is Managing Director of the Dar es Salaam-based Foreplan Herbal Clinic, on various issues concerning alternative medical practice. Read on…
QUESTION: Why is it that there is now a proliferation of alternative medicine practitioners in the country?
ANSWER: It may seem that there is mushrooming of alternative medicine practitioners now while in actual fact it is not. Many of the so called alternative medicine healers announced in the media are not actually alternative medicine healers. Many of them advertise themselves as alternative medicine practitioners while in fact their business licenses is for traditional healers.
Also the fact that these days advertising in the media is relatively cheaper than was before many of these people get a chance to advertise their business.
Q: Does closing their business help anything?
A: If the aim is to make owners of these traditional medicine is to teach a lesson so that later on they may practice it legally and in good conduct- that is better but not closing them for good. It is difficult to completely stop these people from the trade. If you stop them doing business publicly, they will surely do it under cover.
Q: Tell us about yourself?
A: I was born in 1976 in Kigoma and attended primary education school at Kiezya Primary School between 1984-90 and later at Kigoma Secondary School between 1991-94.
I achieved high school education at the Ununio Islamic School between 1995 and 1997. I got my Diploma in Computer science certificate in Dar es Salaam between 1998 and 1999. I then advanced my computer knowledge after getting Advanced Diploma in computer science at Ayurved College before studying traditional medicine.
I must admit that my clan has many members who are basically traditional healers. As you know that many African clans , are traditionally divided in three main cultural settings which include families grounded in academics, families which have most of its members practicing witchcraft and those which are mostly engaged in traditional medicine like ours.
My grandfather is traditional healer, and my father is also a traditional healer and many others in my clan.
Q: When did you start practicing alternative medicine?
A: I started healing people when I was eight years old. A mad man was brought to our house one day for treatment by my grandfather. Unfortunately my grand father was not around. There was nothing I could do but to step in and do the healing using the old style of teaching- traditional medicine.
I asked those who brought him to untie the ropes on his hands so that I could heal him properly. People were surprised that he did not run away after the ropes were removed. I went on surprising people which my traditional healing power in various incidences.
In 2004 I went to Oman where the demand for traditional healing was so great and still is. I was very successful there and many people advised me to stay in the country so that I could practice traditional healing.
Q: How did you join alternative medicine?
I later retuned home from Oman and in 2006 and studied herbal medicine (Herbology) online with the Australia School of Herbal Medicine. I graduated in 2009 and awarded with Certificate of Foundermental Herbolody). The school teaches among other subjects anatomy and physiology, pathology, biology, chemistry, biochemistry. Others are biochemistry, history and philosophy of natural medicine, counseling and psychology.
Studies taught also include herbal medicine, nutrition, disorder profile, clinical practice, ethics and jurisprudence, workplace health and safety and first aid.
After being awarded with the Certificate of Foundermental Herbology I seriously engaged in the profession and completely left the former traditional healing practice.
Q: What is your clinic’s area of competence?
A: Our area of specialization is reproductive health problems. We also associate men in this area. We have observed that many women come to his hospital after they have failed in conventional hospitals in the country or even abroad.
Since 2012 this clinic has attended 158,954 patients mostly women.
I always get messages from doctors in the conventional hospitals to allow their patients to be treated in this clinic after failure to respond to treatment in their respective conventional hospitals.
Women flock in numbers to be cured of their reproductive system diseases. Our clinic’s mission is to be responsive to national and global health development of the people.
It is our mission also to provide good health and the best products in the world at the lowest possible cost on the market through integrating complementary and conventional medicine.
Q: How legal are you?
A: Foreplan Herbal clinic is a registered clinic and recognized by the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare. It is a clinic is for services and not for business, focusing on improving people's health.
Sometimes we offer free treatments to patients whom do not have money to pay for the service. We don’t charge any medical fee for people beyond 60 years.
Q: Where do your clients come?
A: They come from within the country and others from countries like UK, The US, South Africa, DRC, Burundi, Mozambique, Kenya, Uganda. Many women come to this clinic after failing to get the right treatment from conventional hospitals. Their main problem is that they cannot have children.
After re-examining those patients, I discover that they have some problems in their reproductive systems. Other hospitals could not discover them. Therefore it’s the question of lack of the right medical equipment used to examine them.
We have got state-of-the-art medical equipment here. We attend up to 60 people a day most of them women.
I have has another dream- to open branches in Mwanza, Mbeya, Tanga, Dodoma in the near future.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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