Health Care Providers Knowledge as Correlates of their Attitudes Towards Leprosy Sufferers in Nigeria

Abstract

Patients seek cures from a variety of medical systems. In the traditional medical systems, medical traditions partly cover other sectors of social life. In contrast to traditional health care system, the official health care system is based on Western science and technology. Gaddis employ different ways in case of sickness. Traditional medical knowledge is coded in to household cooking practices, home remedies; ill health prevention and health maintenance beliefs and routines. Like other rural parts of India, health care in Bharmour among Gaddis is characterised by medical pluralism. Among Gaddis, the health care includes self care, consultation with traditional healers-chela; and /or primary health care. Spirit possession is acknowledged as an illness among Gaddis. The cause is a spirit, the effect is spirit possession and the cure is controlled spirit possession. Among Gaddis, deities and evil spirits possess men as well as women. It is believed by Gaddis that traditional medical system is competent of restoring health of the body (herbs) or the mind (chela). Modern education, technology, biomedicine has not threatened the traditional therapeutic healing as there are no alternatives. The integration of the two systems is conceptual. These systems just co-exist, side-by-side. To dismiss traditional medical systems as ineffective or weak is to overlook their relevance and benefits in the contexts of their socio-cultural systems. At the same the shortcomings of modern medical systems: their technical complexity, rising costs, curative rather than preventive focus, and limited accessibility for large population sectors can not be overlooked.

Health workers’ perceptions of leprosy and factors influencing their perceptions in endemic countries: A systematic literature review

“…Knowledge on the cause of leprosy varied among the seven studies that included this aspect in their research. 8,9,16,[27][28][29][30] They found that between 2% and 94% of the health workers knew that a bacterium causes leprosy. 8,9,16,[27][28][29][30] The study conducted in Sri Lanka had the highest percentage: 94% of health workers knew the cause of leprosy to be bacteria.…”

“…Bacteria: 2-94% 8,9,16,[27][28][29][30] Supernatural causes: 1-60% (God's desire (60%), 32 curse/punishment (1-10%), 27,29 karma/punishment for sins (10%), 8 evil eye (1%), 29 witchcraft (4%) 27 ) Hereditary/ancestors: 2-53% 27 'common disease' (22%), 32 impure blood (10%) 8 )…”

“…Skin patches/white patches: 26-87% 9,16,23,25,[27][28][29]34,35 Numbness or loss of sensation: 5-91% 8,9,16,25,27,29,[34][35][36] Itch or pain in lesions: 2-53%…”

Development and validation of a scale to assess attitudes of health care providers towards persons affected by leprosy in southern India

“…Croft and Croft report that the negative attitudes of health care workers acted as a block to the delivery of holistic health care for persons affected by leprosy and also contributed to reinforcing harmful traditional beliefs about leprosy in the community [ 11 ]. Reports also suggest that medical doctors too have been known to avoid providing care to persons affected by leprosy to the extent of even refusing to treat them [ 12 ]. The resultant sense of discrimination and shame that persons affected by leprosy face, invariably, causes them to avoid seeking care.…”

“…A web search revealed 11 studies that assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices of health care providers towards persons affected by leprosy. Most of these studies had been carried out in African countries [ 8 , 9 , 12 , 16 – 20 ] with three that had been undertaken in India [ 21 – 23 ]. Based on our review, we discovered that barring a few items, the majority of the items in the different scales were more representative of knowledge and practice rather than attitude thereby justifying the development of such a scale.…”