Towards the participation of traditional birth attendants in primary health care in Kenya.

This study of 80 traditional birth attendants from Homa Bay District sought their knowledge, functions, and participation in maternal-child health care and family planning. The TBAs were all women with a median age of 50 years. They formed a significant feature of the Luo medical landscape offering a wide range of antenatal, perinatal and postnatal services. The TBAs could become part of the official health care providers offering services, making early diagnoses of difficult pregnancy cases and providing appropriate referrals to health facilities. However, their vocation requires to be enhanced and certain practices such as the use of herbal medicines rationalized through training and research.