| Abstrakt: |
There are positive and negative reports associated with the uptake of traditional medicine. Belief systems or a way of life and behaviour can influence people's choices regarding the uptake of customary medicine. However, there are many factors that lead people to feel confident using traditional medicine, and it has been stated that western medicine is associated with high costs, and some people from rural areas cannot afford it. The article's objective was to examine the reasons that influence the uptake of traditional medicine Qualitative explorative research was used in the study. Semi-structured interviews, nonparticipant covert observations, and focus group discussions were used to collect data and analysed through thematic analytic methods. The study participants comprised one western-trained doctor, three traditional leaders, seven community members, and three traditional health practitioners who were sampled using non-probability sampling methods and snowball sampling in Allandale village. The findings of this study showed that socio-economic factors, cultural issues, and environmental factors emerged as the key elements that influenced the uptake of traditional medicine. Therefore, people from these areas have had to resort to using cheaper and more affordable treatments in the form of traditional medicine. Cheaper, however, does not necessarily translate to lesser quality, it is associated with the advantage that traditional medicine provides compared to allopathic medicine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
