P35 Traditional healers and trusting communities in ghana: a constructivist grounded theory approach

Abstract

Background In Ghana, Traditional herbal and Western medicine exist in parallel with underlying contradictions between their values and beliefs. Traditional medicine is ingrained in the ancestral and cultural history of most Ghanaian communities with an estimated 70%–80% of the population using herbal medicine alone or alongside western medicine. Aim/Objective To explore the experiences and motivations of cancer patients to use traditional herbal medicine and traditional herbal practitioners (THPs) in Ghana in parallel to conventional medicine. Methods Semi-structured interviews with adult cancer patients aged 25–76 years (n=35) and ethnographic observations of their staff interactions and engagement with patients at the participating hospitals and herbal clinics. The interviews were audio recorded on a digital recorder and formed the core data for the analysis, using coding and constant comparison. Results Five main categories reflected the patients’ motivations to use traditional medicine: Tradition: Ancestral and cultural connections, Linguistic comprehension, Community and relational accountability, Reputable virtues of the THPs, Power disparity and lack of trust in doctors. The present findings highlight the profound subtleties of trust in the THPs because of shared traditions and ancestral quintessence. Participants were found to trust the THPs because they felt they had a collective community, language and relational accountability to them and because of their renowned reputation of good character and healing practices. In contrast, there was a lack of trust in conventional medical practitioners because of inequalities of power between doctors and patients, economic disparity, and cultural divide brought about by doctors’ European or Western foreign-like manner and language during the clinical encounter Conclusions The study provides evidence that the motivations of cancer patients in their use of herbal medicine in Ghana are more profound and complex than mere socio-economic factors that most previous studies identified.