Witch doc's to give sick days

HARARE, Zimbabwe -- Tribal healers, often known as witch doctors, are to be permitted to give patients official sick days recognized by employers, the state media reported Wednesday.

Deputy Health Minister Edwin Maguti told a gathering of traditional healers and herbalists that only members of the 1,500-strong state-approved Traditional Medical Practitioners Council would be allowed to grant sick leave of up to a week, The Herald newspaper, a government mouthpiece, said.

As government health services crumble in the ailing economy, the move was part of efforts to improve the collaboration of traditional healers in providing health care.

Maguti said medical doctors would also be encouraged to refer patients to traditional healers for additional treatments.