Title : Decolonizing minds attitudes and practices of health practitioners
Abstract:
Centuries of western colonization has destroyed the trust between indigenous health practitioners, patients and the western trained health practitioners. As a result, patients abandon their medications including ARVs, and an increased number of ARV defaulters. Dual consultations present serious challenges such overdose and toxicity due to lack of communication and referral system. The presentation will focus on the cyclical processes of decolonization applied among communities, indigenous and allopathic health practitioners in management of HIV and AIDS in postcolonial Africa. Participatory action research design model was used and six processes of decolonization applied. The outcome was change of mind-set where they acknowledged that: ‘neither health system is better than the other, they should complement each other’ and patients do not belong to any of the two systems and should be allowed to exercise their beliefs ’and rights”.
