ABSTRACT
Traditional medicine is practised by two types of herbalists in Malawi: the traditional birth attendant (TBA), and the traditional healer (TH). The government of Malawi Ministry of Health is undertaking training programmes for the TBAs in all the twenty-four districts of the country and conducts frequent seminars in order to promote primary health care to the whole population through primary health delivery systems. The THs and TBAs in Malawi are doing quite a good job in promoting primary health care to the rural population as 'bare-foot doctors'. The Herbalists' Association of Malawi (HAM) was originally called the Traditional Mediciners of Central Africa, Ochiritsa and was established in 1963, registration number 1730 of Box 5119, Limbe, Malawi. The University of Malawi has direct links with both HAM and the Government. Government and party officials have always been invited to meetings between the University and the herbalists, and the ministry of health has always invited the university to their meetings with them.
