4. TRADITIONAL HEALERS
As SCD is more prevalent in the tribal population, traditional healers
can play an important role in improving health awareness programs,
screening and treatment outcomes directly. Traditional healers are an
integral part of the pluralistic healthcare system, and concomitantly in
tribal cultures the traditional healer is often socially empowered.
These healers typically use indigenous methods that go beyond the scope
of contemporary medicine. The community can quickly reach these healers,
and they are highly regarded. Thus, traditional healers, enjoying
authority and faith in tribal community, and are crucial in prompting
the people for accepting diagnosis, treatment and management of
SCD.18 The participation of traditional
healers in the SCD project can be crucial, especially in tribal areas.
Hence, it’s a felt need that the services of traditional healers should
be integrated with the program and the expertise of SCD should be shared
with the healers.