Roles that african traditional medical practitioners can play as frontline workers during disease outbreaks in response to diseases such as covid-19, ebola, hiv, and cholera to name a few

Traditional Medical Practitioners are found in every part of the African continent; and are the backbone of primary health care fulfilling the three As of primary health care namely; availability, affordability, and acceptability. Unfortunately, most African governments do not recognize the roles of traditional medical practices and do not utilize them as part of human resources for health, particularly during disease outbreaks. Methodology: The paper reviews the roles of traditional medical practitioners during past epidemics such as Ebola, HIV and AIDS, and cholera on the African continent. A literature review of scientific journals and newspapers was done during the review. Results: UNESCO has written a few policy documents on the roles of traditional medical practitioners during the 2019-2022 COVID-19 pandemic (UNESCO 2019). In Ethiopia, research showed that 50 percent of communities consulted traditional medical practitioners to manage COVID-19 (Belachew U. Chali et al 2021). The World Health Organization has shown that the use of traditional medical practitioners as human resources for health in the Democratic Republic of Congo and West Africa during the Ebola epidemics reduced both morbidity and mortality. Conclusion: Utilizing traditional medical practitioners as human resources for health reduces both morbidity and mortality.