Witch-doctor study with Brych income

Press, 1 June 1977, Page 6

Witch-doctor study with Brych income

NZPA Rarotonga Revenue from Mr Milan Brych’s treatment of terminal cancer patients in Rarotonga would enable the Cook Islands Medical Research Institute to carry out a detailed study of traditional Maori medicine, said the Cook Islands Minister of Health (Dr Williams) in Rarotonga yesterday.

Dr Williams said that the first phase in the recently established institute’s programme had been to allow Mr Brych to come to the Cook Islands to continue his work on cancer.

The second phase, which he described as the dream of the institute, would begin soon with island witch-doctors, or ) taunga, being asked to surrender their knowledge of ; traditional cures for various , illnesses. Dr Williams said that Mr Brych and the Cooks Premier (Sir Albert Henry) intended j to hold soon a conference of , taunga in Rarotonga. The conference would be . addressed by both Mr Brych , and Sir Albert, and taunga. ; Other islands in the Cooks ) group would be asked to . gather on their respective is-*' lands to listen to the speeches, which would be . broadcast on radio. Dr Williams said that the ' taunga, who in the past had jeolously guarded their secret traditional cures involv-i' ing herbs and medicinal plants, would be urged to make their knowledge available to the institute. The various traditional methods would then be documented and other samples; collected and sent overseas; for detailed research, he said. ‘•Who knows, we might turn, up something here in the Cooks which might be of benefit to mankind,” Dr Williams said. The intention was to study all traditional cures for all kinds of illnesses “but if we turn up something on cancer, it will supplement what Mr Brvch is doing.” The Minister said he had already been in contact with a scientist in Honolulu with a view to studying samples | collected in the Cook Islands.; and he hoped to visit Hawaii ] soon for further discussions.; There was a possibility that the D.S.I.R. in New’ Zealand! might be invited to take part’ in the research. Dr Williams said revenue gained from Mr Brych’s cancer treatment would allow the institute to continue its research into traditional Maori medicine but “the money situation was never in our minds when we started off.” Dr Williams said the fees charged by Mr Brvch “might sound exorbitant but to seek

treatment for cancer in any| other part of the world would 1 cost a lot more.” He declined to say what I those fees were but said that* one cancer sufferer who had! left Rarotonga to seek treat-1 ment in the United States,! had spent $lOO,OOO in the! process, and had returned to I the Cook Islands “worse than! when he left.” Other people' had spent sAust6ooo for a, month’s stay in Mexico, he | said.

"What the New Zealand Medical Council has done is its own business and is| nothing to do with the Cook! Islands Medical Council,” he said. The Cook Islands Medi-j cal Council had given Mr! Brych “full registration as a medical practitioner and a specialist and leave to practice. in a private capacity.” The Minister said there were at present between 60 and 70 cancer patients on Rarotonga, most of them Australians.

A Melbourne doctor, Dr Warren Hastings, had been given the task of vetting all Australian applicants wishing to come to Rarotonga. Dr Hastings was responsible for ascertaining whether an applicant in fact had cancer, and the type of cancer from which he was suffering. He also had to prepare the necessary documents.

Dr Williams said none of Mr Brych’s patients had died as a result of the treatment he had administered. “No-one has died as a result of the treatment but because of advanced cancer or the complications of cancer,” Dr Williams said.

“People look at the deaths of people dying here but noone reports the success rate —what people are like undergoing treatment. They are doing very well. “People once reliant on morphine and opiates are not now,” Dr Williams said.