Akerele O
Soc Sci Med. 1987;24(2):177-81. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(87)90250-4.
If there is to be any real improvement in the health of the underserved populations of the world, there will have to be full utilization of all available resources, human and material. This is fundamental to the primary health care approach. Traditional practitioners constitute the most abundant and, in many cases, valuable health resources present in the community. They are important and influential members of their communities who should be associated with any move to develop health services at the local level. There have been varying responses to a number of key WHO resolutions that call on Member States to develop traditional medicine activities as part of their national health services. Some aspects of the work of WHO Collaborating Centres for Traditional Medicine and some current activities of the traditional medicine programme are described. A number of guiding principles which may help the Organization and other international and donor agencies working in this area are also suggested.
如果要切实改善世界上医疗服务不足人群的健康状况，就必须充分利用所有可用的人力和物力资源。这是初级卫生保健方法的根本所在。传统从业者是社区中最丰富且在许多情况下最具价值的卫生资源。他们是所在社区的重要且有影响力的成员，应参与到地方层面发展卫生服务的任何行动中。对于世界卫生组织呼吁成员国开展传统医学活动作为其国家卫生服务一部分的若干关键决议，各方反应不一。本文介绍了世界卫生组织传统医学合作中心工作的一些方面以及传统医学项目目前的一些活动。还提出了一些指导原则，可能有助于本组织以及在该领域开展工作的其他国际和捐助机构。
