Understanding usage and preference for health care therapies in a Ghanaian context: A pluralistic perspective

What is it about?

This paper is the qualitative version of my other work on the triple pluralistic health care system in Ghana. In this study, I explore and examine motivations for the use and preference of hospital or clinic based biomedical care, commercial traditional healing and self-medication (using biomedical drugs or traditional remedies). The purpose is to understand informants or participants' health care seeking behaviour(s)

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Why is it important?

The findings of this study indicate that time spent waiting for treatment and cost of treatment are two major motivating factors for participants' decision to self-medicate. Ghana National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) provides some financial relief for insured members who seek professional care at public hospitals and clinics. However, the limited number of health professionals in these institutions, especially in deprived communities such as the study, contribute to longer waiting hours. The study also shows that cost of treatment and lack of insurance coverage are major barriers to the use of the use commercialised traditional healing practices.