Table 1.
Reasons for consulting traditional healers
| REASON | FREQUENCY | PERCENTAGE FREQUENCY |
|---|---|---|
| Previous visits to a clinic/hospital did not help | 51a | 24% |
| Family belief and preference for Traditional Medicine (TM) | 51 | 24% |
| Advice from neighbours or family | 31 | 15% |
| Thought it was witch craft | 19 | 9% |
| Had no money | 13 | 6% |
| Unknown to respondent | 9 | 4% |
| Thought it was a strange(bad) disease that only a traditional healer (TH) can treat | 7 | 3% |
| Was the nearest source of pain relief for the child | 7 | 3% |
| Knows that a TH is good at treating side pain | 5 | 2% |
| Knowledge that ‘boh’ is usually treated by a TH | 3 | 1% |
| Knows that a TH is good at treating boil/abscess | 2 | 1% |
| Knows a TH is good at spleen problems | 2 | 1% |
| Thought liver problems cannot be treated in the hospital | 1 | <1% |
| The TH saw child and offered to help | 1 | <1% |
| The TH is renowned for fracture treatment | 1 | <1% |
asurgery in two cases