Abstract
The government of Ghana has been piloting traditional medicine (TM) integration in 17 health facilities across the country. However, the nature of current practice of integrated healthcare has not been thoroughly explored. This paper sought to explore the experiences and recommendations of orthodox health practitioners and hospital administrators in the Ashanti region regarding the practice of integrated healthcare in Ghana. The study adopted a qualitative, phenomenological approach involving 22 interviews. Purposive sampling technique was used in selecting study participants. Framework analysis was used to draw on the experiences of participants relating to TM integration. Participants were knowledgeable about the existence of integrated health facilities and stated that TM integration has created options in health services. However, participants deemed the integrated system ineffective and attributed the inefficiency to poor processing and certification of TM products, opposition of medical doctors to TM usage, absence of a protocol to guide the integration process, and inadequate publicity. Professional training of TM practitioners and inclusion of TM in medical school curriculum could improve collaboration between the health practitioners. Future research should focus on assessing the opinions and involvements of TM practitioners regarding the integration of traditional therapies into national health systems.
Highlights
Traditional medicine (TM) comprises ways of treating, preserving, and/or promoting health before the existence of orthodox healthcare [1]
Twelve participants were from the Kumasi metropolis, while 10 were from the Offinso north district, and most (17) of the participants were males
This study explored the experiences and recommendations of orthodox health practitioners and hospital administrators on the practice of integrated healthcare in Ghana within the Kumasi metropolis and Offinso north district
Summary
Traditional medicine (TM) comprises ways of treating, preserving, and/or promoting health before the existence of orthodox healthcare [1]. The World Health Organization defines TM as the sum total of knowledge and practices, whether explicable or not, used in the diagnosis, prevention, and elimination of physical, mental, and social imbalance, relying exclusively on practical experience and observation handed down from generation to generation, whether verbally or in writing [2]. TM includes a range of health practices that incorporate plants, animals, vegetables (mineral-based medicines), spiritual/faith healing, and exercise applied solely or in combination to promote or maintain wellbeing as well as treat, diagnose, or prevent ailments [3]. In Ghana, TM comprises the use of medicinal plants and faith/spiritual healing [4,5]. In this study, TM refers to products such as medicinal plants, barks, and roots, whether processed or not, that are used for curative purposes.
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