Medical Pluralism among the Hyolmos: An Ethnographic Study from Mid-Hill of Central Nepal

Abstract

Every society has distinct ways to understand and get solutions to health problems. It differs on tools, procedures, time, sources and service providers which tend the society towards pluralistic paradigm in medical practices. The main objective of this research is to explore existing medical practices and their reason of choice along with the people's perception on illnesses and healers. This research also explores the changes on medical choice and its causes. Explanatory model as a theory was used to know the peoples' perception on illness, its causes, effects, and the ways to be better based on eight qualitative open ended questions and case study to get the responses on disease, illness, pain, and suffering and to identify the factors of health and healing as overlapping sectors in healthcare tradition. The universe of this study is the Hyolmos of Melamchi Ghyang, Helambu. This study is based on primary data which were gathered through census, key informant interview, focus group discussion, case study and observation. The collected data were edited, coded, classified and tabulated for comparison, analysis and generalization. The data texts gathered from interview were transcribed to derive themes from the collected data set. The quantitative data gathered from census were analyzed using simple statistical tools which clarified socio-economic, cultural, political and educational background of the medical choices. Qualitative data were analyzed using the thematic classification system. Adoption of plural medical practices is taken as dependent variables and factors in influencing the changes on medical practices are taken as independent variables in this study and these two variables are analyzed on the basis of peoples' perception towards different medical practices.