The increasing demand for high-quality Traditional Medicine (TM) practices and products in Uganda is constrained by the lack of technical capacity of the TM practitioners.  Health training institutions in Uganda do not include training in TM. There is hence a critical shortage of professionals in TM practice which affects the delivery of high-quality TM services. Equally, the need to document indigenous traditional medical knowledge, its protection, and preservation and promotion remains unaddressed. To respond to these needs THETA seeks to establish an indigenous health science institute that will strengthen professionalization of TM practice as well as support documentation of indigenous traditional medicine knowledge.

The institute will focus on:

1. Training Traditional Health practitioners (THPs) who wish to increase their knowledge and skills in professional TM practice, research and product development;
2. increasing capacity of scientists in biomedical and behavioural research disciplines in TM;
3. Documentation of indigenous TM knowledge and in-situ TM knowledge conservation.

Expected result: Professionals with improved knowledge, skills and competencies for TM practice, research and development of high-quality TM products.

Key strategies

• Establishing a self-sustaining indigenous health science institute
• Establish a knowledge centre for traditional medicine resources
• Develop community-based technical assistance hubs for traditional medicine development