BACKGROUND: The people of East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), especially Flores, Sumba, and West Timor, have a diversity of local cultures regarding health conditions, illness, and care for the sick. AIM: This study aimed to explore the distinctive culture of caring for the sick that belongs to the people of Flores, Sumba, and West Timor, NTT. METHODS: This study used the descriptive phenomenology method. The participants of this research were community leaders. Data collection was carried out from August 20, 2020, to October 10, 2020, through in-depth interviews with community leaders. Data analysis was carried out through the following stages: verbatim transcribing, determining keywords, assigning categories, and determining themes. RESULTS: The thematic analysis found three themes, in which one the community viewed health as a condition where a person shows no signs and symptoms of disease and is able to carry out daily activities, (2) the community believed that the cause of disease comes from medical and environmental factors, while non-medical factors are from God, Nature, and Spirits, and (3) the community’s efforts to heal the sick included x`going to health facilities, providing traditional treatment, performing traditional rituals, and praying. CONCLUSION: The people of NTT use complementary approaches (traditional and conventional) in caring for the sick.