Akan Healthcare Delivery System and Its Effect on Modern Healthcare Practice in Ghana

Abstract

In many societies, medicinal knowledge including healthcare delivery is associated with cultural and religious traditions. Among the Akan of Ghana, cultural knowledge about healthcare includes beliefs and practices as well as the use of expressions of culture in accordance with indigenous laws and mores. In this paper, we argue that despite the external influence by modernity and scientific developments, Akan cultural and religious traditions in healthcare have proven worthy in addressing many health needs of the countless poor among the Akan and other socio-cultural groups in Ghana. The research approach was qualitative and a cross sectional survey involving a sample size of 200 individuals. The paper identified that Akan religion and cultural knowledge about medicine/healthcare continues to play tremendous roles in many communities, even though it has not been fully officially accepted and acknowledged in Ghana. The existence of indigenous healthcare with other forms of medical care has positive impact on the socio-economic life and total well-being of the people. There is, therefore, the need to tap more into this religio-cultural knowledge on medicine and healthcare.