Churches and healers claim to cure HIV and TB

Submitted by sanyu about 1 year ago

Traditional doctors or herbalists alongside some pastors are making tuberculosis and HIV prevention and treatment difficult. Pastors in particular are telling people that God will cure them of their diseases, and this means that many people go to church instead of hospitals.

Last Sunday, I decided to visit a prominent church in a Kampala suburb, Synagogue of all Nations headed by one self-declared man of God. If you live in Kampala you understand what I mean. One lady came on the platform to testify.

“Praise the Lord, brethren,” she said. “I was suffering from HIV/AIDS and at the same time I went to test for TB because doctors advised me to do so. Again I was TB positive and doctors told be to adhere to my drugs and as you are aware that I came here to the man of God to pray for which he did so that I can get healed and indeed he prayed for me. I went back home few weeks later I tested negative and even TB wasn’t there. “

She advised all those with different pains to come to the pastor for healing power. This is not the first time such scenarios occur. Several of them took place and many worshippers end up dying because they shun treatment thinking that they are okay. There are no tough laws to stop these people from discouraging innocent people to test and treat HIV and TB infections.

Several pastors tell people that there is nothing to worry about TB and HIV because God can heal those diseases even without any medical treatment. Pastors claim they can cure the worshippers with just a touch. The next time you come to testify, you must give heavily in terms of tithe or even sacrifice your assets to God through them.

Traditional doctors also contribute to this misinformation. They tell their patients that they are bewitched, thus only need to be washed of all curses by the healers’ super powers.

The costs of these healing sessions are very high. Many healers ask for high value items like cows, goats, sheep, houses, land and money. The people with HIV and TB are not healed by these methods, but the healers get the assets regardless.

Traditional doctors reach an extent of operating patients by use of sharp instruments like lather blade to cut people as they are treating them. They use one particular unsterilized instrument on more than one person, which can lead to HIV transmission. When it comes to TB, they diagnose it as a simple cough and dispense syrup for treatment.

The government of Uganda should establish laws for these traditional herbalists and fake pastors if at all caught in such act. This can be achieved through carrying out research and investigations on how these people are doing things or operating.

There is also a need for the local leaders to count and know the number of traditional doctors in their communities and their qualifications because most of them are doing it with the aim of stealing from poor people, yet they are not healers; they are just targeting materials and money and they end up misleading others. There should be laws that govern the churches so that people can be saved from these fake pastors who claim to be curing HIV and TB. Serious measures must be adopted if the government considers her people and care for them.

Keywords: AIDS government HIV prevention religion TB tradition transmission treatment Uganda

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