Traditional & Alternative Medicine

Health seeking behavior is an important factor in health management. Ignoring it while considering schemes for providing health facilities can result into non- acceptance by the community. It is important to understand the perception of the community regarding the service delivery. Th is becomes critical especially among traditional and tribal societies. With this motive, Accreditation and Certifi cation of prior learning (ACPL) in folk healers was designed. It was an eff ort to fi nd out genuine folk healers who have been practicing a traditional system of medicine since ages and applying the indigenous method supported by herbal drugs. A minimum competence document was prepared and folk healers were tested for their knowledge by an expert committee. Th ree institutions initiated this certifi cation process and were piloted in eight states of India. Th is paper focuses on the review of this certifi cation process. Th is review is done in Udaipur district of State Rajasthan. It was performed in order to validate the practices of traditional healers, oft en called gunis. Th e purpose of the review was to fi nd out the eff ectiveness of their treatment and to what extent it can be accepted, integrated and mainstreamed. Traditional health practitioners (THPs) and their role in traditional medicine health care system are worldwide acknowledged. More than three fourths of population relies on alternative medicine for health access in developing countries. Th is area is ignored by the government, less discussed by the health economists, and orphaned by science. Unfortunately, almost all the evidence about their eff ectiveness is anecdotal or testimonial in nature, and remains unpublished by accepted medical journals. Medicine is becoming more and more dehumanized by advent of machines and working at the human element lost in it is the need of the hour. Th is paper is an eff ort to acknowledge the traditional health practices. It is an eff ort to bring these practices out of their territory to get recognition among the masses.