Faith healers, traditional birth attendants urged to keep records of patients

Faith healers and traditional birth attendants (TBAs) have been urged to keep records of their patients to keep track of their medical history and offer accurate medical advice when the need arises.

Dr Samuel Kingsley Owoo, Executive Director of Crystal Diagnostic Medical Centre, gave the advice at the inauguration of a 40-member human rights task force for members of the Ghana Association of Faith Healers and Traditional Birth Attendants (GAFHTBA) at Weija near Accra on Monday.

He urged them to collaborate for better performance saying, “It is always better when you collaborate with each other by sharing ideas on drugs and better methods of curing your patients.”

He appealed to them not to hesitate in referring patients to hospitals for appropriate medical attention to avoid unnecessary deaths and, also, to give the right drugs to patients.

Dr Owoo urged the faith healers to conduct tests, especially on pregnant women, before prescribing drugs to avoid miscarriage and other medical complications.

Mr Eric Oyortey, Ga South Municipal Director of the Commission on Human rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), appealed to them to avoid clashing with the task force by adhering to the laws and regulations pertaining to their work.

He called on them to respect the human rights of their patients and visit the offices of CHRAJ for education on issues pertaining to their work.

An 11-member executive committee for the Greater Accra Regional branch of GAFHTBA was also sworn into office.

Certificates were presented to over 40 members who took part in a workshop organized by the Human Rights Advocacy Centre, a human rights NGO.

Source: GNA