Health-Seeking Behaviours Of Bulsa

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Most Bulsa still have an unwavering faith in the traditional and spiritual healers. They believe some conditions can only be managed by spiritualists and not "White man medicine". Some prefer to die trying traditional healing methods than going to a health facility for treatment. That is how faithful they are to the traditional system.

Although traditional medical practice is not bad in itself, some unscrupulous beings whose aim is to make money are complicating the system and making things worse for modern medical practice.

Initially, some people thought the cost of modern healthcare was the reinforcer for  the traditional, less expensive system. But, with the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS), that thought has, somehow, been defeated.

Some people have gotten so accustomed to such behaviours and practices that they cannot just be done away with easily. More education needs to be intensified in this area. Although the Bulsa Health Workers Association [BHWA], an informal group of healthcare workers in the area, has done a great job of educating Buluk through Radio Bulsa with their Sunday evening "YOU AND YOUR HEALTH" program, more needs to be done in this area. People need to be engaged on the ground too so as to get them involved in healthcare planning.

Some Traditional Beliefs Among Bulsa

1. Anything bitter or sour is medicinal: Some people believe anything that tastes sweet or is tasteless in the mouth cannot cure diseases. So, for some people, drugs such as Aluminium hydroxide (Aludrox) tablets and Magnesium sulfate (Magacid) suspensions are not drugs. Even if they have been tried with favorable outcomes, the notion is that sweet-tasting substances cannot be medicinal. This is a real reason which makes some people throw away such drugs and resort to drinking concoctions.
2. Some sicknesses require home treatment: This is a thought which has kept so many people at home to meet their untimely deaths. Some people still believe certain diseases are spiritual and cannot be treated, at least not at a modern healthcare facility! Herbalists and spiritualists have preyed on these folks and lived comfortably, whilst intermittently seeking modern healthcare in secret. Imagine a client who rushes to a hospital to see a doctor and, after being diagnosed with a condition and given the right prescription, tells you not to inject them because a needle prick on their body would result in them dying from the condition. Although not true, patients rights have to be respected. After being bombarded with all the right information from the health staff and being convinced enough, a health worker may receive consent to continue treatment with injections. Sometimes, it gets too late to intervene and the blame still goes back to the health staff, reinforcing the client's earlier belief.
3. Orthodox medicine is a killer: It is no news that orthodox medicines carry serious side effects with their use. A male hypertensive patient once told me taking antihypertensive drugs would make him impotent and less of a man. I tried explaining to him why that may not be entirely true but he was uncooperative. What he failed to understand was, drugs are not administered in a vacuum. Tests are carried out and the benefits weighed against the risks before they are administered. However, this is not the practice with traditional herbalists. The herbalist only gives his treatment based on the client's complaints and the presenting signs and symptoms only. What some people fail to understand is that herbs also have side effects which may even be worse than those of orthodox medicine. Besides, no standard measurements are made and no scientific investigations are carried out.
4. Orthodox medicine is expensive: Some people also believe the cost of drugs is very high and unaffordable. They will, therefore, resort to the less expensive traditional system. But this thought is not entirely true since some herbal preparations can cost so much, not only in cash but in kind [goats, sheep, fowls, cows, etc.] but may still not solve the problem presented.

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