Author : Sarah Rasmussen
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 87 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (94 download)
Book Synopsis Somewhere in the Middle by : Sarah Rasmussen
Download or read book Somewhere in the Middle written by Sarah Rasmussen and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 87 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the small Nepali hill village of Noju, a diverse array of health resources converge, creating a complex landscape that villagers, local healers and biochemical practitioners alike must navigate. Based on three weeks of ethnographic interviews with health providers and community members, this paper presents two different beliefs about healing in Noju, and focuses on the role of female community health volunteers (FCHVs) in creating alliances among practitioners across these local and biomedical systems. The first system is that of the health post staff, who respect ritual healing but believe biomedicine is the only method that is truly effective; the second is that of the villagers who view local healing methods, such as shamanistic rituals, and biomedicine provided by the health post as equally effective treatments for two different types of illnesses. Using Nichter and Nordstrom's framework of medicine answering, I will argue that FCHVs, who are members of the community they serve but have a basic training in biomedicine are uniquely able to facilitate the reconciliation of these two conflicting beliefs. As FCHVs conform to the moral and social structures of the communities they serve, they effectively communicate and empathize with their patients, thus increasing their ability to provide meaningful health care. In highlighting the ways in which FCHVs work in partnership with diverse health practitioners, this research both addresses a gap in the research on FCHVs and demonstrates that alliances amongst health providers in Nepal are possible.