Charuwan Sawatsing. Provision and utilization of traditional health services in rural Thailand . Master's Degree(Community Health Nursing). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2003.
Provision and utilization of traditional health services in rural Thailand
Abstract:
This study examined the process and methods of traditional healers and the reasons
underlying the utilization of traditional health services from practitioners and clients. The
study was conducted in Tambon Lumpook, Muang District, Burirum Province. The research
instrument was a question guideline for in-depth interviews with informants composed of 41
traditional healers and 112 clients. The research also observed the practice of traditional
healers.
This study has found six types of traditional healers comprising mor pao (blowing
healers), mor song (the mediums), mor samunprai (herbal healers), mor kradoog (bone
healers), mor nuad-jabsen (masseurs) and mor sadaukrauh (fate healers). All the healers used
similar method of treatment, starting from tang kay (presenting offerings as a sign of respect
and gratitude to the healers), diagnosis, treatment and plong kay (giving honorarium to the
healers). The traditional healers’ practice is relevant to the villager’s lifestyle because they
live in the same place, have the same beliefs about ghosts and supernateral powers,
understand their life-style, give the same names to the symtoms, and have a similar perception
and evaluation of illness. People of all ages went to these healers because of common beliefs
about the causes of disease and satisfaction with the outcome. All clients considered the
treatment to be convenience, inexpensive, simple and successful. Some illnesses are believed
to only be curable by traditional healers, for example, kam-rerd (a child illness of crying all
night ), kai-marg-mai (fever with rash). It was also found that clients went to traditional
healers because of previous experiences and having the received information from
grandparents, and because the treatment is not against the community culture and belief about
ghosts and supernateral powers. For example “pee poo-taa” are the spirits of founders of the
villages. There is usually an annual ceremony to pay respect to pee poo-taa. Anybody
showing disrespect to these spirits will get ill.
Base on the findings, it was recommended that health care professional should share
and exchange knowledge with traditional healers , learn from traditional healers and utilize
their service when trying the solve health problems.Moreover, traditional healers should be
encouraged to enter primary health care system as village public health volunteers in order to
support the basic health care concept.