MTHATHA – The Walter Sisulu University Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences in Mthatha is advancing African-centred scholarship with the official launch of the Indigenous Health Systems Research Institute (IHSRI).
The launch took place on 26 May at the Mthatha Health Resource Centre, marking a ground-breaking step towards closing the knowledge gap between Western medicine and traditional African medicine.
The IHSRI aims to bridge traditional wisdom with modern scientific knowledge to support sustainable, culturally responsive healthcare.
The initiative positions Walter Sisulu University as a leading voice in Indigenous Knowledge Systems research in South Africa.
The Institute stands as a clear affirmation of the value of African traditional health systems and the importance of integrating them into mainstream healthcare.
The launch united medical practitioners and traditional health practitioners, showcasing a powerful collaboration for a healthier, more inclusive future.
Housed within the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, the IHSRI is one of the country’s first institutes to formally collaborate with traditional healers on Afrocentric medical research, teaching, and learning.
In his welcome remarks, Executive Dean of the Faculty, Professor Wezile Chitha, highlighted why the Faculty is undertaking this journey.
“We are Africans as a faculty and a community, and the community we serve is predominantly African. The healthcare system in South Africa has long acknowledged that the communities we serve use both traditional African and Western medicine.”
Professor Chitha stressed the importance of strengthening indigenous health systems through research, innovation and community engagement. Indigenous health knowledge systems include traditional healing practices, herbal treatments and spiritual rituals.
He said that through this collaboration between traditional healers, researchers, clinicians, and scholars, the University hopes the IHSRI will unlock Afrocentric healing innovations and reshape healthcare delivery to better reflect the lived realities of the communities it serves.
