WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION

ORGANISATION MONDIALE D.E LA SANT'

REGIONAL OFFICE FOR THE WESTERN PACIFIC 8UREAU ReGIONAL DU PACIFIQUE OCCIDENTAL

REGIONAL COMMITTEE

Thirty-sixth session Manila 16-20 September 1985

WPR/RC36/TD/INF. DOC/7 20 September 1985

STATUS OF TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN THE PHILIPPINE MINISTRY OF HEALTH

LE STATUT DE LA MEDECINE TRADITIONNELLE AU MlNISTERE DE LA SANTE DES PHILIPPINES

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Statu$ of Traditional Medicine in the Philippine Ministry of Health.

Since time immemorial, traditional medicine has been practiced

and to date still exists especially in remote rural areas of the

Philippines. Among the practitioners or the so called indigenous

healers are the herbalists, the bone setters, the faith healers and

the hilot (traditional birth attendant). To many rural folks, tra­

ditional medicine is the principal source of health care. Even some

urban residents turn to traditional medicine especially when they

have tried western medicine and failed to get cured.

Of the traditional practitioners mentioned, the Philippine Minis­

try of Health has taken special interest on the hilot or the tradi­

tional birth attendant as a potential health manpower resource, from

the public health standpoint. The hilot usually a female, confines

her activities to child delivery and care of the newborn. The hilot

is very acceptable to rural mothers. She delivers about 50% of babies

in her COITillUnity. She receives no compensation for services rendered

or only a gift or token of goodwi11 and good neighborliness.

Hilot practices have been found to contribute to maternal and

infant morbidity and mortality especially to a high incidence of tetanus

neonatorum.

To legalize hilot practice, the Philippine Midwifery Law was amended,

"allowing hilots to be registered with the Department of Health after

undergoing training in the art and practice of midwifery under the

UNICEF - Philippine Department of Health Project and hilots in localities

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where the services of a practicing physician or a registered professional

midwife are not available ••• to continue in the practice of their trade".

Massive hilot training was undertaken since 1954 to the present,

thus making them important auxiliaries in the local health service set

up. After the training, they are given midwifery kits and some supplies.

At present they are increasingly being involved in additional public

health activities, which include assistance in notification and organiza­

tion of mothers classes, registration of births, undertaking or helping

in mother and child referrals to health centers and hospitals, partici­

pation in community immunization rounds and helpin9 in local family

planning programs.

A survey made by the Ministry of Health in 1974 revealed that there

were around 40,000 traditional birth attendants or hilots in practice.

A resurvey is currently being undertaken by the Ministry of Health.

The use of herbal medicine in alleviating ailments or treatment

of illnesses is another area of traditional medicine that the Philippine

Ministry of Health has taken much interest - not only to find remedies

to ailments that modern medicine have failed to cure but also to find

substitutes for expensive and imported medicines. Families in communities

especially in rural areas are encouraged to propagate herbal gardens in

their backyards so they have ready access to herbal medicinal plants.

They are taught how to identify, produce and use medicinal herbs for

simple ailments. Manuals on herbal medicine have been printed in the

local dialect by the Ministry of Health and other health related agencies,

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such as the National Science and Technology Authority.

The Ministry of Health is also establishing regiona1 herbal process­

ing plants in three depressed areas of the country. These pilot plants

will produce medicinal plant formulations for the Primary Health Care needs

of these areas. Five priority medicinal plants whose active pharmacological

contents have been studied and identified-analgesic, anti-tussive~ anti­

diarrheal, diuretic and anti-helmintic properties will be planted to at

least 10 hectare plantations in each region and processed into tablets

or liquid commercial forms for distribution to botica sa barangays,

clinics and hospitals.

In line with its program of development of appropriate technology

as one of the cornerstone of primary health care, the Philippine

Ministry of Health has adopted acupuncture and moxibustion therapy as

a modality of treatment in the health care delivery system.

The history of acupuncture in the Philippines goes back to 1972,

when a group of lady physicians went to China on a cultural medical edu­

cational tour. They trained in acupuncture and when they returned, they

developed a course and taught local and foreign doctors, in 1973.

However. in 1975 the Professional Regulation Commission banned the prac­

tice of acupuncture except for research, hence the private practitioners

lost interest. The ban was however lifted in 1983 and the Board of

Medicine allowed the practice of acupuncture by properly trained physicians.

The Ministry of Health started sending physicians to China for train­

ing in acupuncture since 1975. However, some of those who trained have

left the government service and only about a dozen of them have remained.

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This core group of trained acupuncturists in a seminar - workshop

in 1984 shared their experience in acupuncture practice. They have

obtained 90% success in the treatment of about 35 conmon disease con­

ditions. They recommended the integration of acupuncture in the health

care delivery system.

The core group was given an advanced training b,y an expert from

China to upgrade their skills and to implement a massive training program

for government doctors in rural ~ealth units and in provincial district

hospitals.

Training centers for acupuncture have been set up in the different

regions of the country, which offer basic acupuncture training courses

and by the end of this year some 100 physicians shall have been trained

in acupuncture and moxibustion therepy.