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There has emerged in Ghana, and in some other
African countries, traditional medical practitioners (TMPs) have
diversified their practice of traditional medicine (TM) by integrating of
other medical traditions. Using the practice of a family of bonesetters in
Kaneshie, Accra, as an example, this paper shows the transformations that are taking
place within the field and TM’s place in healthcare delivery in Ghana. TMPs are
now diagnosing diseases and ailments by modern methods of diagnosis, such as
ultrasound, X-ray, blood and urine tests, scans, and other laboratory tests; and they
use biomedical techniques such as injections and drips as part of treatment. The
paper suggests that in Ghana, the emergence of TMPs who have diversified their
practices has come about largely because of the government’s policy guidelines
that emphasize the herbal and scientific aspects of TM, and which deemphasize TM’s
religious component. It also highlights some of the challenges that TMPs confront
today in their practice as a result of the government’s policy guidelines. TMPs
confront the challenges of weaning TM practice of its mystical/religious
component, which impacts unfavorably on TM practice as it loses its
attractiveness and significance to many Africans whose sense of healing is both
physical and spiritual (holistic healing); the high costs of establishing and
running the herbal facilities and often the inadequate financial resources of
practitioners; the challenge of massive production and sales of all kinds of
inferior and unsafe herbal medicines (in the name of new discoveries) by
quacks, whose activities undermine the work of genuine practitioners; the
possible decline of patronage by clients due to the high treatment charges at
the facilities. The paper thus situates itself in the context of the
discussions on TM and its practice in Ghana today.