so, during which the pharmaceutical industry has run
appear to be in default on several fronts – and it is
into ever-increasing consumer headwinds of diminishing
understood from unimpeachable sources that at least one
revenues, as allopathic medicine patents ran out allowing
and probably two different groups of affected parties are
generic production at much lower costs, as well as
likely to drag these officials into court, even if necessary
growing resistance among consumers to its side-effect
through private prosecutions as is allowed under SA law,
laden products.
and make them account for their failures.
This pattern was abundantly clear, especially to the
This could mean that everyone involved, from the
'Big Pharma' entities, as a growing number of citizens of
Minister of Health, through the Director-General in that
these countries – as here in South Africa – were choosing
department and every other relevant line official, might
to avoid allopathic medicines if they could, preferring
find themselves trying to explain the inexplicable – and
the much safer alternatives of complementary medicines
face heavy penalties and possibly losing the right to ever
and of traditional medicine (mainly herbs) with very long
again hold public office, if found guilty.
track records, some running into millennia, of safe and
effective use.
The shock-waves of such an outcome could rock the
Zuma administration to its roots, setting a precedent for
But in Canada and those EU states where regulations
line government officials of every stripe and in every
very similar to those which the local DoH has issued have
other government department, from national through
'We are thinking ways of fighting this law in court. It's simply more
apartheid medicine all over again, just imposed from a different
angle. Whether such a law comes from whites or blacks, or any
government representing them, is irrelevant.' - Chief Richard Kutela
been imposed, that trend has been halted and even
regional and down to local councillors, to face the wrath
reversed as once all-allopathic pharmaceutical giants have
of angry citizens who choose to take them to legal task
launched into the 'green fields' of CAMs and, in South
for maladministration.
Africa's case, potentially also TAMs.
The battle is not over
While the DoH bureaucrats – and, allegedly, their 'pals
'Medical apartheid'
in Big Pharma International Inc' – may be rubbing their
For their part, most of the organised traditional
hands in glee over the fact that President Zuma has
healers (some 220 000 are members of one of several
ignored an impassioned plea by traditional healers, in the
representative bodies) are adamantly opposed to the
form of a letter to him which Odyssey has seen and which
new law, whether it supposed to relate to them and their
asked him not to sign this obviously faulty law, the battle
products or not, as they see it as part of an organised
over SA's enormously rich natural healing plant heritage,
effort from beyond this country's borders to hijack South
along with all other forms of CAMs, is far from over.
Africa's rich and diverse complementary health resources,
For one thing, in South African law any officials – such
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DIGIMAG
mainly its healing herbs and plants.
as those in the DoH who have shepherde BF