INTEGRATING TRADITIONAL AND ORTHODOX MEDICINES IN HEALTHCARE DELIVERY IN GHANA: A STUDY OF WENCHI MUNICIPALITY

ABSTRACT Over the years, different societies combine traditional and orthodox medicines in different proportions in the treatment of ailments. While some societies have well developed combination of the two, others are not. This study examines the integration of traditional and orthodox medicines in WM. The purpose was to examine; the relationship between educational level and place of residence and medical systems use and as well the challenges of integrating traditional and orthodox medicines. Based on the objectives, two hypotheses were tested and one research question answered. A mixed approach based on a comparative design was used. Multistage and purposive sampling techniques were adopted to select 104 participants with 6 of them being key informants for interviews and the rest answering questionnaires. An analysis of variance shows; the effect of education was significant on the use of medical systems but that of residential status was not. The challenges found to affect integration of TM and OM were multi-dimensional and range from legal-attitudinal-policy issues. Among other things, it is recommended that; traditional medicine and healthcare providers should be placed on the NHIS and more value added to the branding of traditional medicines. Besides, it is recommended that a research be conducted to examine; the effectiveness of existing national policies on integrating traditional and orthodox medicines, to look at how people use traditional medicine for self-treatment; specific herbs that are used to treat particular diseases and how the activities of traditional medicine practitioners help in the promotion of culture.