Regulatory situation

In Guinea, Ordinance 189 PRG of 18 September 1984 (32) states that the profession of physician can only be practised by persons with a Guinean diploma of Doctor of Medicine, a foreign diploma granting equivalent status, or a foreign diploma that entitles its holder to practise medicine in his or her country of origin. Various activities that constitute the unlawful practice of medicine are set out in Section 9. However, traditional medicine seems relatively unaffected by this ordinance.

Guinea has official, applied, legislative/regulatory texts governing the practice of traditional medicine. There is a licensing process and a registry of traditional health practitioners as well as local and national intersectoral councils for traditional medicine (6). 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 Guinea's primary health care programme (6).