Perceptions and Practices of Tribal Traditional Healers of Assam towards Health and Health System: Mixed-Method Study

Kirthana V, Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute
Shilpa Ravi, Piramal Swasthya Management and Research Institute

Tribal traditional healers lack medical degrees but practice folklore medicine. World Health Organization reports that nearly 80% of the world's population relies on conventional medicine for primary healthcare, and by 2050, global demand for medicinal plants is estimated to reach US$7trillion. This necessitates an understanding of tribal traditional healing system that significantly influences health-seeking behavior of tribal populations. The present study aimed to assess the knowledge and attitude of traditional healers towards health system and explore their healing practices. Cross-sectional mixed-method study was conducted in Assam’s 5 districts. Through multi-stage stratified-systematic-sampling, 260 healers were sampled for quantitative data, 25 healers for in-depth-interviews through maximum-variation-sampling. Only 23(8.84%) of 260 healers had moderate to good knowledge of health systems and 50(19.23%) healers had an attitude that either leaned or believed in other health systems. Healers believed that diseases are caused by a mix of physical and spiritual causes and hence, their curative methods encompassed either herb-based-treatment, faith-based-rituals or both. A range of sources were reported for their knowledge about health and health systems like own experience/gurus/family members/other healers/gods. These findings necessitate an urgent need to enhance health literacy among healers regarding health and health systems and bring change in behavior to effectively collaborate and render quality health services to remote populations.

Keywords: The Demography of Indigenous Populations, Mixed methods research, Health and Morbidity, Population and Development

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