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Medical Pluralism: Traditional and Modern Health Care

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Medical Sociology in Africa

Abstract

The term “medical pluralism” (in this chapter) is used to describe the coexistence in a society of differing medical traditions grounded in different principles or based on different worldviews. In this case, the chapter refers to traditional and modern health care. The chapter starts with the discussion of traditional medicine (TM) in Africa, focusing on its features, categories of practitioners (herbalists, diviners, traditional birth attendants, medicinal ingredient sellers, bonesetters, traditional psychiatrists, traditional surgeon and faith-based healers), determinants of utilisation of traditional medicine, and major criticisms against TM. The discussion of modern medicine revolves around its historical emergence in Africa, the components of modern health care systems, categories of modern health professionals, political organisation of health systems (utilitarian, capitalist, socialised and socialist, and two-tier heath care systems), levels of health care delivery (primary, secondary, and tertiary), and challenges of health care delivery in Africa.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto, Nigeria

    Jimoh Amzat

  2. AG3 Epidemiology & Intern Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bielefeld, Bielefeld, Germany

    Oliver Razum

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  1. Jimoh Amzat
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  2. Oliver Razum
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Correspondence to Jimoh Amzat .

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Amzat, J., Razum, O. (2014). Medical Pluralism: Traditional and Modern Health Care. In: Medical Sociology in Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-03986-2_10

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