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PETCHA CENTRE FOR COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE STUDIES
Medical training with a difference. Hurray!
WHAT DO WE DO
Our main areas of focus
Medical Education
Naturopathy uses science to bridge the gap between Conventional Medicine and Traditional Medicine through the Four Learning Areas of Science, which includes all the Basic and Medical Sciences like Anatomy, Physiology, Biochemistry, Microbiology as well as Pharmacology, Pathology, Medicine, Pharmacognosy, etc; Art, including Acupuncture, Massage, Reflexology, Physiotherapy, Surgery etc; Practice, Ethics, Jurisprudence, Practice Management, Clinical methods etc; and Philosophy, Anthropology, Psychology, Sociology, etc.
Naturopathic therapy
Naturopathic Medicine emphasizes treatment modalities that strengthen the body's healing powers by dealing with the cause of the sickness rather than its presenting symptoms through a holistic approach. This is done in the four treatment areas that include modalities of:.
Physical Medicine: Massage, Surgery, Reflexology, Hydrotherapy
Spiritual Integration: Meditation, Prayers, Spiritual Healing
Psychotherapies: Yoga, Psychosynthesis, Dianetics (Meditation)
Medicine: Dietotherapy, Herbtherapy, Drug therapy, Hydrotherapy, Aromatherapy
Medical research
One of the key elements hindering the process of registration of traditional herbal medicines and their subsequent rational use in Zambia is the lack of valid clinical data on their safety and efficacy. Although the effectiveness of traditional herbal medicines has been reported based on long-term traditional use, clinical studies play a significant role in proving their effectiveness in a scientific manner. Clinical studies also provide valid data for further development of potential innovative new medicines from traditional herbal medical recipes and medicinal plants.
We at Petcha have relevantly positioned ourselves to conduct reserach in traditional complementary and alternative medicine. Having access to the accumulated wisdom of traditional medicine use done by not just the traditional healers but by community members who have been using plant medicines as well as insects and other natural sources of medicinal properties to deal with all their health problems over a long period of time.
Of course one of the bottlenecks to conducting research is little or no relevant tools and equipment to achieve global research levels and thereby contribute to the global pool of medical knowledge. This lack has not stopped us from using basic equipment to bring out some useful results from our research.
Capacity building
During the decade of Traditional Medicine between 2001 and 2010, WHO developed a WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy that was serving as guideline for countries in the AFRO Region and worldwide to assist them in the integration of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medical Practices (TCAM) into their Mainline Health Care Systems, in order to achieve their Health-Related Millennium Development Goals.
This Strategy was developed over the period 2002-2005 and its situation analysis identified several bottlenecks that were hindering integration. Four areas of action were recommended to the member countries for their consideration. These included Policy and Regulation; Safety, Efficacy and Quality; Access as well as Rational use. However, issues of evidence based medicine also play a significant role in the adoption of TCAM into mainline Health Systems. Petcha, through its Naturopathic Medicine program has been relevantly oriented to bridge the gap to bring parity between Conventional or Biomedicine and Traditional System of knowledge, by applying science to the wisdom of Traditional Systems of Healthcare. This is done not just in the education but also in research and care, by adopting standardized protocols that would validate the efficacy claims of various TCAM practices, products and equipment as well as the various levels of education for the practitioners of TCAM. Our conviction is that aligning these several efforts within the context of TCAM education would expedite novel drug discovery.
A program to train and thereby build the capacities of the more than 1,000,000 practitioners in compelementary and alternative medicine has been ongoing by our institution through collaboration with the various organizations and institutions for traditional, complementaryand alternative medicine practitioners.
This is our story
Petcha - Centre for Complementary Medicine is registered as a business with PACRA, in 2014 as a business name, and with Health Professionals Council of Zambia as a Health Training Institution, Registered with National Science and Technology Council as a Research and development Institution, accredited to City University College of Science and Technology (CUST), as well as Ministry of Health at Kasama, Mansa, Mongu and Choma General Hospitals as well as Mwense, Kawambwa, Nchelenge and Mansa District Health Offices for Student Practicum sites. Training as Petcha College of Health Sciences, the college offers a 5-year degree in Naturopathy, a 3-year Diploma in Clinical Medicine and a 1-year Certificate in Community Health, and conducts research in indigenous knowledge, Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, procedures and equipment
Our objectives include; Opening of three campuses every year for the next three years, an analytical laboratory within the next 2 years and a naturopathic training hospital within the next five years.Marketing Plan involves Radio adverts and talk shows, Church bulletins and announcements, Posters and fliers, Public announcements using PA system, Insertions in print media, School promotions and career talks.and participation in fairs and foras both locally and regionally to showcase our brand.
Each campus will have (has) a Principal, (a) Coordinator(s), (a) Dean(s), an Accounts Clerk, a Senior Lecturer, Lecturers, a driver and support.
A typical class will have an average number of 30 students +/- 10 each paying on average K5000/Semester or K10000/year. The cost of start-up for a new fully equipped school is estimated to be K250,000.
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PROVINCES
We have entered four provinces so far, which includes, Lusaka Province, Western Province, Southern Province and Luapula Province.
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CAMPUSES
Set in modest rented premises with a view of building our own structures, we have established small campuses in Mongu of Western Province, Choma of Southern Province, Lusaka of Lusaka Province and Mansa of Luapula Province.
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FACULTY AND WORKERS
We have a highly motivated and relevantly qualified workforce deployed in strategic places of our institutions.
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ALUMNI AND CURRENT STUDENTS
Since 2006 we have trained many students mostly in Naturopathic Medicine, but since 2014 we have included Clinical Medicine too
WHAT WE DO
Current projects
Online Campus
07/23/2022
What Medical Training courses do we have available for you at the moment? There are three courses available as at now. We have Community Health Assistant (#CHA), Diploma in Clinical Medical Sciences (#COG) and Bachelor of Naturopathic Medicine (#BNM). You can pay for an individual course and start learning online right away. Just click on the...
Natural Medicine Research
07/28/2019
Despite Zambia's political commitment to promoting research in Traditional Herbal Medicine, the country has not advanced much in this area mainly because it needs a well-structured institutional and operational framework to facilitate such research. One key question that has often arisen is: Where should traditional healers go for scientific...
Mongu Campus
07/03/2019
Mongu lies at the end of the 610-km Great West Road from Lusaka which takes 6-8 hours to drive. The road to Kalabo called Barotse Floodplain causeway was finished in 2016.
Choma Campus
06/28/2019
Situated about 285km from Lusaka and 188km from Livingstone, Choma was in 2011 declared provincial capital of Southern province. With a total land area of 7,296 square kilometres and a population of 180,673, according to the 2010 national census, Choma district lies 1,400 metres above sea level. The weather here is a typical climate of southern...