TRADITIONAL HEALERS AND PRACTICES : A CASE STUDY OF POKHARA SUB METROPOLITAN, NEPAL

Abstract: In the third world, (the case here is Nepal) where biomedical practice doesn't sufficiently meet the demand of people for health services, the next alternative for people is to consult the traditional healers. It is not known how many types of health problems are solved by these healers, however, it has been found that a significant number of people visit them when they have health problems. In an overview, visiting traditional healers is related to a power hierarchy of the society where religion is dominating. Observing faith in these traditional healers and at the same time visiting biomedical institutions, Nepali society has a dialectic phenomenon in the health care system. The genuine fact the patients expressed is that they usually consult the traditional healers when biomedical practitioners fail to treat or are unable to diagnose the illness. In this dichotomy of dual practices, it is necessary to network between two different types of therapists. This study is a part of an ethnographic studies of traditional healers with an objective of more understanding of their world. The study was done in a particular suburban center, Pokhara, where a community of diverse traditional healers live. The study discusses why traditional healers and medicine still survive.