[Role of traditional medicine in the health care system of the cities of sub-Saharan Africa: Libreville in Gabon].

Abstract

Traditional medicine in Libreville is undergoing changes, despite the refusal of some actors in the modern health-care system to recognize it. It is gradually adopting the methods and techniques of modern medicine for patient management. It therefore occupies the same medical space as the modern care system, creating competition. Traditional medicine is positioning itself to deal with pathologies related to the body, thus competing with -- and annoying -- some of the actors of the modern system of care. At the same time, it lays claim to pathologies related to the spirit, thus distinguishing itself.