ANB-BIA SUPPLEMENT

An interview with Dr. Richard Klamadji, a traditional practitioner in N’Djamena

Q - Doctor, What basic training have you received?

R - I have a diploma in management, qualifying in the class of 1981. I then studied commercial subjects at Brazzaville’s Marien Ngouabi University. Where did I obtain my knowledge of medicinal plants? Well, I’m self-taught. When I was growing up, things were not too easy. I’d been adopted by my uncle Ngarikoumte, a traditional healer, so from an early age I was in contact with nature. I worked in the fields and looked after the cattle every day. My interest in nature was strengthened when I got to know four Western Catholic priests who were experts in plant-life.

Q - How did you eventually start to practice traditional medicine?

R - I’d like first of all to clarify a point. I’ve nothing against the term «traditional medicine» since it’s in current use worldwide. But I would prefer to use the term «natural medicine» because I use plants and herbs to look after my patients. Concepts such as «tradition» and «up-to-date» used to be directly opposed to each other. Today, they are complementary. Traditional practitioners and conventional doctors work closely together, even if there are still some grey areas in their professional relationship.
Before becoming a traditional healer I taught mathematics, the physical sciences and biology for eleven years in colleges and secondary schools. Then I had a spinal cord injury in a traffic accident which kept me in bed for 12 months. The hospital said I couldn’t be cured. But having assisted my uncle in his work as a traditional healer, I could see how he helped his patients. I noted that he had a thorough knowledge of his profession, but lacked a scientific approach. I used his knowledge to find a cure for my own ailment, not forgetting that the hospital had said I couldn’t be cured.
In the beginning I had five patients. A year later — 45; by 1996 — 250. I’ve now been practising traditional medicine for more than 9 years.

Q - Are you a general practitioner (GP) or a specialist?

R - I specialise in rheumatism and chronic diseases. We, traditional healers, avoid the pitfalls of modern medicine. Because we’ve a thorough knowledge of how nature works, we can do far more than modern medicine. In traditional medicine there’s always a solution to a problem. We investigate the sickness’s cause before its symptoms. Thus, we look after our patients and carry out research at the same time.

Q - Can you give some examples of how you’ve been able to help people?

R - In 2001, I treated a former colleague who’d been suffering from haemorrhoids since 1983. He’s now in a senior position in Chad’s police force. Because modern medical treatment is aimed initially at relieving the symptoms, sufferers frequently turn to the marabous and the charlatans for a solution to their problem.

I’ve also treated people with diseases associated with the kidneys. Modern medicine may deal with kidney stones by surgical removal but this does not provide an answer as to why such a dysfunction has occurred. Myself, I prescribe purges decocted from specific plants; anti-inflammatory infusions obtained by the same method; and even infusions to help destroy the kidney stones — all aimed at helping the kidneys to once again function correctly.
I also treated the present secretary-general of Chad’s parliament who suffered from diabetes. Modern medicine was unable to cure his diabetic sore. Whilst hospitalised in Paris, he’d tuned into one of our broadcasts on Radio France Internationale dealing with Diabetes. When he came home, he got in touch with us and after 27 days’ treatment he was cured, and it didn’t cost the earth! Just one among many examples of our success stories.

Q - Would you tell us something about the development of traditional medicine in Chad?

R - People are convinced that there’s been a positive development in traditional medicine. They’ve seen and experienced its success. It has its place in Chad’s main-stream medical services. Thanks to the initiative of Dr. Pamplona Roger who is a Spanish surgeon and medical researcher, the World Health Organization in 1991 emphasised the importance of traditional medicine to those interested. Studies acknowledging the place of traditional medicine in general medical practice were published, but nobody took the trouble to disseminate them. Later, in 1997, Chad’s Ministry for Higher Education and Scientific and Technical Research established the Study and Research Unit in Pharmacopoeia and Traditional Medicine (CERPHAMET). All of Chad’s traditional practitioners were invited to a general assembly to approve CERPHAMET‘s official decisions. CERPHAMET has received official state recognition. Today, it has four departments: For chronic diseases and rheumatism (I’m the present director of this department); for diarrhoeal-related diseases; for genital diseases; for AIDS.

Q - From where do you get your plants and herbs, and when?

R - During the rainy season we gather the upper part of plants; likewise flowers and bark from the trees. Between the dry season and the rainy season we gather other species which exude a milky liquid. We also collect earth containing iron and kaolin, and especially during the rainy season the termite mounds.
Medicinal plants are not cut indiscriminately. Medicinal herbs, for example, are cut during the rainy season when the roots are saturated and contain the necessary active ingredients. Don’t go looking for roots in the marshes. The best roots are to be found on the plateaux. Dried fruit skins are very important in traditional medical care. Why? Because we manufacture alcohol from the skins.

Q - How do you succeed in preserving your plants?

R - - We are familiar with natural preservatives such as pepper, which eliminates the bacteria thanks to its active ingredient. There’s also tamarin and lemon which contain tannin — an excellent protector of plants; and gum arabic, garlic and vegetable alcohol — all good preserving agents for traditional medical products.
However, we’ve got a problem when dealing with the other decoctions. Because of our country’s climate we can only keep these for 48 hours. It’s a real limiting factor in our work. Generally speaking, we preserve leaves in the shade so that they maintain their active ingredients. They must be preserved whole, and not cut or crushed into pieces. For example, you can keep a leaf from the castor oil plant for 2 years in paper packaging, but not wrapped in plastic. The container should not be made out of metal, but rather from terra cotta or glass.

Q - Are there any areas of conflict between modern and traditional medicine?

R - Vis à vis traditional medical practice, we’re rather behind in Chad when compared to other African countries. That’s due to the fact that some people have been appointed to senior positions in the Ministry of Health for political reasons. These people don’t know much about running a health service. The fact is, traditional medicine takes into account our country’s culture. The people are the first to call us «Doctor», not the powers-that-be in the health service. The State recognizes us as such, once the people have given their approval; to be called «Doctor» in main stream medical practice you’ve got to be recognised by the State first of all. So, who is the best judge? After all, the proof of the pudding is in the eating i.e. the cure.
During the Congress for the Production of Herbal Medicines, 29-30 January 2003, I gave the example of a chief executive officer from the Ministry of Health who was suffering from gout, but who refused to seek medical help. Typical of such people! They’ve all got a superiority complex. But traditional medicine’s got a cure for gout. No problem! In our many radio and TQ - broadcasts, we’re always appealing for collaboration between the two forms of treatment.

Q - Have you any advice for us?

R - - I’d prefer to make some appeals. I ask donor nations and organisations to invest in the production of herbal medicines and to help traditional practitioners emerge from their clandestine situation, and to no longer be the victims of various prejudices.

I call upon the Chadian authorities to give official recognition to traditional practitioners and to accord them all the responsibilities which go with such recognition. Because not all traditional practitioners are acting for the best, there must be some control so they don’t swindle the people. They say they’re looking after people, whereas they’re trying to get rich quick. The State can also help to establish a working relationship between Chad’s traditional practitioners and their West African colleagues who are more advanced in these matters. These are my main requests.

• From an interview with M. Nanando, Chad, May 2003 — © Reprod. authorised, with usual acknowledgment