A traditional healer is a person who is recognized by the community in which he lives as competent to provide traditional health care. They usually practices healing from generation to generation and uses traditional healing methods and medicine that are not scientifically tested. Most of these treatment methods are orally transmitted and have not been documented.
The knowledge of the traditional healers in Sri Lanka is currently tested by the Ministry of Indigenous Medicine by conducting a written and an oral test. The testers are usually Indigenous Medical Doctors who have scientifically studied Ayurveda, Siddha or Unani and have passed out from University.
My concern is whether such system of assessing traditional healers could really assess the knowledge of the healers? and What are the concerns in assessing the knowledge of the traditional healer who doesn't have a mainstream academic education in healing.