Ancient cures for modern times: Bridging the health care gap in Australia
"Aboriginal healers are bringing their 60,000-year-old tradition into medical clinics across Australia. Working alongside doctors and other health care providers, the traditional healers known as Ngangkaṟis are offering their ancient and powerful traditional healing methods in mainstream health settings."
"Ancient cures for modern times: Bridging the health care gap in Australia" source
"Traditional healers have been working in their own communities for thousands of years with amazing results, and now they are sharing their wisdom and filling the gaps of Western medicine in South Australia's Royal Adelaide Hospital and many other rural clinics around the country. In South Australia, a policy of cultural respect in the public health system supports Indigenous patients to request a Traditional Aboriginal Healer and so today we can see Aboriginal traditional medicine and Western medicine working hand in hand.
Aboriginal Traditional Healers
It all started nearly seven years ago, when in 2012 the Aṉangu Ngangkaṟi Tjutaku Aboriginal Corporation (ANTAC), the first organisation of Aboriginal traditional healers in Australia, was set up by 18 registered Ngangkaṟi healers. This was the first official organisation of traditional healers in Australia. The group comes from the Central Desert and are hoping their work will inspire other Indigenous healers from around Australia to do the same.
The not-for-profit social enterprise supports the maintenance and practice of the Aboriginal traditional medical knowledge system today. ANTAC is the result of a shared vision between Dr Francesca Panzironi (an Italian researcher) and the Ngangkaṟi from the Aṉangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands (APY).
ANTAC representatives say: "We came together to bring Ngangkaṟi's healing to communities, families and individuals and reach out to as many people as possible."
ANTAC Chief Executive Dr Panzironi is passionate about bringing Indigenous wisdom to more people, and has authored a report: Hand in Hand. Report on Traditional Aboriginal Medicine, establishing the foundations for the recognition of Aboriginal traditional medicine in Australia and proposing its inclusion in Australia's national health care system. When she came to Australia to study how international legal standards related to Aboriginal traditional medicine, she was amazed at the lack of research or recognition of this 60,000-year-old body of knowledge. With her vision, today this is changing. The Ngangkaṟis are involved in outreach work and Dr Panzironi heads a team of Ngangkaṟi visiting major hospitals and rural clinics in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and Western Australia." source, read more