A bill to regulate South Africa's 200,000 traditional healers has been adopted by parliament. Healers will have to be licensed before being allowed to work and they will also be barred from treating fatal diseases, like cancer and Aids. Breaking these rules will be punished by a fine or a prison sentence of up to 12 months. Some 70% of South Africans consult healers, known as sangomas, the health ministry says. "This practice has suffered degradation during years of colonialisation in Africa, but traditional medicine has sustained many families for centuries in this continent," Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang during the parliamentary session. "This is an equally important bill for national health care. It will create a framework for cooperation between mainstream health practice and traditional healing," she said. Except for one abstention, the bill received the full support of parliamentarians. Before it becomes law it needs to be passed by the second chamber of parliament and the president. Human sacrifice Many healers use herbs and some of these have been proven to be effective and have been used as the basis of medicines marketed by western pharmaceutical companies. But some witchdoctors have been known to recommend the use of human body parts to make magic charms to bring luck or success. And some are blamed for helping spread Aids by advising patients that it can be cured by having sex with a virgin. The licensing of traditional healers will have a negative impact on the economy of South Africa, Doctors for Life International

This has led to a spate of child-rapes in South Africa, some of babies just a few months old. South Africa has one of the highest numbers of HIV-positive people in the world - some 5.3m, or one in nine of the population. 'Overdue' Opinion is divided on the Traditional Health Practitioners' Bill. The Traditional Healers Organisation welcomes the move to recognise its members as "long overdue". National coordinator Phephsile Maseko said healers can play a positive role to play in the fight against Aids. The South African Medical Association says the legislation will ensure safety standards, reports AFP news agency. But Doctors for Life International, which represents some 600 medical practitioners says healers should not be given official recognition, as there was no proof that their remedies were effective. The body also fears that healers would be able to issue "sick notes" and this could be open to abuse. "The licensing of traditional healers will have a negative impact on the economy of South Africa, with regards to giving people time off work for long periods, as often required by the 'ancestral spirits'," the group said in a statement. What do you think - should traditional healers be recognised? Or should they be banned? Have you consulted a healer? Are you a sangoma? Send us your experiences using the form below.