Healers and the State of Medical Integration in Asante: A 21st Century Dialogue with Practitioners and Residents in Aboabo
This study looks into how traditional medicine is incorporated into the healthcare system in Asante, focusing on the Aboabo community. For many years, traditional healing methods that are ingrained in the area’s cultural legacy have been vital parts of its healthcare. Notwithstanding their importanc...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for African Studies
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Ученые записки Института Африки Российской академии наук |
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| Online Access: | https://africajournal.ru/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2-2025_Adu-Gyamfi-Yakubu-Nyaaba-Bempong-Brobbey_Traditional-Healers.pdf |
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| author | ADU-GYAMFI Samuel YAKUBU Bright NYAABA Ali Yakubu BEMPONG Emmanuel BROBBEY Maryann Addai |
| author_facet | ADU-GYAMFI Samuel YAKUBU Bright NYAABA Ali Yakubu BEMPONG Emmanuel BROBBEY Maryann Addai |
| author_sort | ADU-GYAMFI Samuel |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study looks into how traditional medicine is incorporated into the healthcare system in Asante, focusing on the Aboabo community. For many years, traditional healing methods that are ingrained in the area’s cultural legacy have been vital parts of its healthcare. Notwithstanding their importance, formal acknowledgement and incorporation into the mainstream healthcare system are frequently difficult to achieve for these practices. In-depth interviews with a wide range of participants, including locals, biomedical experts, and traditional healers, were conducted as part of this broad qualitative study. The results demonstrate the diverse functions of traditional healers, who, in addition to aiding in childbirth, attend to a broad range of conditions, from acute wounds to chronic illnesses. The community’s view of traditional medicine is clarified by this study, which highlights the confidence and dependence on these professionals. Significant obstacles to integration are also identified by the study, including enduring unfavorable opinions among biomedical professionals who frequently consider traditional techniques to be subpar. The absence of formal acknowledgement by state health authorities and weak regulatory frameworks further complicate the landscape of healthcare delivery. By examining these relationships, this study offers insightful information about the current discussion on healthcare in Ghana and promotes a more inclusive strategy that acknowledges the value of traditional medicine.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3167acacfb314c6f82db1cb79bf411a3 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2412-5717 3034-3496 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute for African Studies |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ученые записки Института Африки Российской академии наук |
| spelling | doaj-art-3167acacfb314c6f82db1cb79bf411a32025-08-20T02:39:02ZengRussian Academy of Sciences, Institute for African StudiesУченые записки Института Африки Российской академии наук2412-57173034-34962025-07-0111214716510.31132/2412-5717-2025-71-2-147-165Healers and the State of Medical Integration in Asante: A 21st Century Dialogue with Practitioners and Residents in AboaboADU-GYAMFI Samuel0https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0193-867XYAKUBU Bright1https://orcid.org/0009-0001-8558-4644NYAABA Ali Yakubu2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7126-2572BEMPONG Emmanuel3https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6202-4356BROBBEY Maryann Addai4https://orcid.org/0009-0007-0599-6045Associate Professor, Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. E-mail: mcgyamfi@yahoo.com Research and Teaching Assistant, Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. Email: brightyakubu12072000@gmail.com Senior Lecturer, Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. E-mail: ayimbil@yahoo.co.ukSenior Lecturer, Department of Communications Studies, Sunyani Technical University, Sunyani, Ghana. E-mail: bemaila@yahoo. comResearch and Teaching Assistant, Department of History and Political Studies, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana. E-mail: addaibrobbeymaryann@gmail.com This study looks into how traditional medicine is incorporated into the healthcare system in Asante, focusing on the Aboabo community. For many years, traditional healing methods that are ingrained in the area’s cultural legacy have been vital parts of its healthcare. Notwithstanding their importance, formal acknowledgement and incorporation into the mainstream healthcare system are frequently difficult to achieve for these practices. In-depth interviews with a wide range of participants, including locals, biomedical experts, and traditional healers, were conducted as part of this broad qualitative study. The results demonstrate the diverse functions of traditional healers, who, in addition to aiding in childbirth, attend to a broad range of conditions, from acute wounds to chronic illnesses. The community’s view of traditional medicine is clarified by this study, which highlights the confidence and dependence on these professionals. Significant obstacles to integration are also identified by the study, including enduring unfavorable opinions among biomedical professionals who frequently consider traditional techniques to be subpar. The absence of formal acknowledgement by state health authorities and weak regulatory frameworks further complicate the landscape of healthcare delivery. By examining these relationships, this study offers insightful information about the current discussion on healthcare in Ghana and promotes a more inclusive strategy that acknowledges the value of traditional medicine. https://africajournal.ru/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2-2025_Adu-Gyamfi-Yakubu-Nyaaba-Bempong-Brobbey_Traditional-Healers.pdftraditional healersmedical integrationtraditional medicineherbal medicineprimary healthcareaboabo communityasante |
| spellingShingle | ADU-GYAMFI Samuel YAKUBU Bright NYAABA Ali Yakubu BEMPONG Emmanuel BROBBEY Maryann Addai Healers and the State of Medical Integration in Asante: A 21st Century Dialogue with Practitioners and Residents in Aboabo Ученые записки Института Африки Российской академии наук traditional healers medical integration traditional medicine herbal medicine primary healthcare aboabo community asante |
| title | Healers and the State of Medical Integration in Asante: A 21st Century Dialogue with Practitioners and Residents in Aboabo |
| title_full | Healers and the State of Medical Integration in Asante: A 21st Century Dialogue with Practitioners and Residents in Aboabo |
| title_fullStr | Healers and the State of Medical Integration in Asante: A 21st Century Dialogue with Practitioners and Residents in Aboabo |
| title_full_unstemmed | Healers and the State of Medical Integration in Asante: A 21st Century Dialogue with Practitioners and Residents in Aboabo |
| title_short | Healers and the State of Medical Integration in Asante: A 21st Century Dialogue with Practitioners and Residents in Aboabo |
| title_sort | healers and the state of medical integration in asante a 21st century dialogue with practitioners and residents in aboabo |
| topic | traditional healers medical integration traditional medicine herbal medicine primary healthcare aboabo community asante |
| url | https://africajournal.ru/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/2-2025_Adu-Gyamfi-Yakubu-Nyaaba-Bempong-Brobbey_Traditional-Healers.pdf |
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