‘Herbalists can save Govt health care costs’

By Simon Mugenyi THE Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Prof. Mondo Kagonyera, has said half the costs on health care would be saved if the work of traditional healer is supported.“If someone can heal someone with a hole on the heart without opening the chest then that is something great. We can reduce many risks and a lot of money can be saved,” Kagonyera said during a visit to Mr. Victor Kyewalabye’s reseacrh centre in Kireka, Wakiso District on Monday.Kyewalabye reportedly treated over 10,000 people with various diseases, ranging from breast cancer, heart disease, skin diseases and others, many of which had failed medical doctors.He reportedly treated a child who was supposed to go to India for a heart operation. Kagonyera said the child could not walk well and was weak, but since he got treatment from Kyewalabye and is now in school.But Kagonyera advised the mother of the child to take him for more medical check up, to confirm whether he had healed.Kagonyera said Africans should stop despising things about Africa. “I can assure you if we are going to despise ourselves saying that everything we do does not work, unless it is the western medicine, we are going nowhere,” he said.