WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION ORGANISATION MONDIALE D.E LA SANT' REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC 8UREAU ReGIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL REGIONAL COMMITTEE Thirty-sixth session Manila 16-20 September 1985 WPR/RC36/TD/INF. DOC/7 20 September 1985 STATUS OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN THE PHILIPPINE MINISTRY OF HEALTH LE STATUT DE LA MEDECINE TRADITIONNELLE AU MlNISTERE DE LA SANTE DES PHILIPPINES forint pullltodoa. I IIQJid ROt be Nvtewtd,... (lp quolld wlhoul.. eg... of the WCA'Id... O.,... loa. Aulhors o1om.,. 111a_.. for,... IIIPRIIId In...,... Ce dooufnent ne coftlltue pee UM publloetlon. n... dolt... l'objlt ctauoun oompt..nctu ou...,... ~al ctauoum oltatloft Mill l"artorleatton de r~..._on Mondlele de Ia SMW. La oplftfona..,... d.,.. '" ortleim llgn.. n'e"gogent...... auleut'l.
Statu$ of Traditional Medicine in the Philippine Ministry of Health. Since time immemorial, traditional medicine has been practiced and to date still exists especially in remote rural areas of the Philippines. Among the practitioners or the so called indigenous healers are the herbalists, the bone setters, the faith healers and the hilot (traditional birth attendant). To many rural folks, traditional medicine is the principal source of health care. Even some urban residents turn to traditional medicine especially when they have tried western medicine and failed to get cured. Of the traditional practitioners mentioned, the Philippine Ministry of Health has taken special interest on the hilot or the traditional birth attendant as a potential health manpower resource, from the public health standpoint. The hilot usually a female, confines her activities to child delivery and care of the newborn. The hilot is very acceptable to rural mothers. She delivers about 50% of babies in her COITillUnity. She receives no compensation for services rendered or only a gift or token of goodwi11 and good neighborliness. Hilot practices have been found to contribute to maternal and infant morbidity and mortality especially to a high incidence of tetanus neonatorum. To legalize hilot practice, the Philippine Midwifery Law was amended, "allowing hilots to be registered with the Department of Health after undergoing training in the art and practice of midwifery under the UNICEF - Philippine Department of Health Project and hilots in localities
- 2 - where the services of a practicing physician or a registered professional midwife are not available to continue in the practice of their trade". Massive hilot training was undertaken since 1954 to the present, thus making them important auxiliaries in the local health service set up. After the training, they are given midwifery kits and some supplies. At present they are increasingly being involved in additional public health activities, which include assistance in notification and organization of mothers classes, registration of births, undertaking or helping in mother and child referrals to health centers and hospitals, participation in community immunization rounds and helpin9 in local family planning programs. A survey made by the Ministry of Health in 1974 revealed that there were around 40,000 traditional birth attendants or hilots in practice. A resurvey is currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Health. The use of herbal medicine in alleviating ailments or treatment of illnesses is another area of traditional medicine that the Philippine Ministry of Health has taken much interest - not only to find remedies to ailments that modern medicine have failed to cure but also to find substitutes for expensive and imported medicines. Families in communities especially in rural areas are encouraged to propagate herbal gardens in their backyards so they have ready access to herbal medicinal plants. They are taught how to identify, produce and use medicinal herbs for simple ailments. Manuals on herbal medicine have been printed in the local dialect by the Ministry of Health and other health related agencies,
- 3 - such as the National Science and Technology Authority. The Ministry of Health is also establishing regiona1 herbal processing plants in three depressed areas of the country. These pilot plants will produce medicinal plant formulations for the Primary Health Care needs of these areas. Five priority medicinal plants whose active pharmacological contents have been studied and identified-analgesic, anti-tussive~ antidiarrheal, diuretic and anti-helmintic properties will be planted to at least 10 hectare plantations in each region and processed into tablets or liquid commercial forms for distribution to botica sa barangays, clinics and hospitals. In line with its program of development of appropriate technology as one of the cornerstone of primary health care, the Philippine Ministry of Health has adopted acupuncture and moxibustion therapy as a modality of treatment in the health care delivery system. The history of acupuncture in the Philippines goes back to 1972, when a group of lady physicians went to China on a cultural medical educational tour. They trained in acupuncture and when they returned, they developed a course and taught local and foreign doctors, in 1973. However. in 1975 the Professional Regulation Commission banned the practice of acupuncture except for research, hence the private practitioners lost interest. The ban was however lifted in 1983 and the Board of Medicine allowed the practice of acupuncture by properly trained physicians. The Ministry of Health started sending physicians to China for training in acupuncture since 1975. However, some of those who trained have left the government service and only about a dozen of them have remained.
- 4 - This core group of trained acupuncturists in a seminar - workshop in 1984 shared their experience in acupuncture practice. They have obtained 90% success in the treatment of about 35 conmon disease conditions. They recommended the integration of acupuncture in the health care delivery system. The core group was given an advanced training b,y an expert from China to upgrade their skills and to implement a massive training program for government doctors in rural ~ealth units and in provincial district hospitals. Training centers for acupuncture have been set up in the different regions of the country, which offer basic acupuncture training courses and by the end of this year some 100 physicians shall have been trained in acupuncture and moxibustion therepy.