Regulatory situation

Law 81/12 of 27 November 1981 approved the Fifth Five-Year Social, Economic, and Political Development Plan (1981-1986) of Cameroon (16). Section 16-1.3.1.5 states the following:

During the Fifth Plan, measures will be taken to lay down a joint strategy and method to effectively integrate traditional medicine into the national health plan by implementing a program on traditional medicine in conjunction with some of our neighbouring countries.

Under this plan, Cameroon created the Traditional Medicine Service within the Unit of Community Medicine in the Yaounde Central Hospital and set up the Office of Traditional Medicine in the Ministry of Public Health. A number of research projects on traditional medicine and training programmes for traditional medicine practitioners have also taken place (17).

Local officials are allowed to authorize the practice of traditional medicine in their administrative and/or health subdivisions, and some traditional medicine practitioners are involved in Cameroon's primary health care programme (6).