Abstract
This chapter critically reviews the current status of primary health care services in India which are mainly rely on the Western medicinal system. It prepares a case for integrating indigenous healing practices into India’s public health care programmes. It is argued that indigenous healing practices are compatible with cultural belief system and social practices of Indian people. In the face of declining public health services in present times, there is a need to rejuvenate our national health programmes by finding innovative ways to integrate indigenous practices with Western medicine. This chapter explores the possibilities of developing such hybrid services in which indigenous practitioners will also have an important role to improve quality of health and well-being of the masses.
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Notes
- 1.
An ancient Indian school of thought and practice that involves systematically bringing about changes in oneself and one’s body.
- 2.
Medical science derived from Greek thought and practices that have been adapted to Indian conditions. The main emphasis is on balanced chemical composition of the body and the lifestyle which keeps this balance.
- 3.
Place of worship where the seekers pray and sing for divine assistance generally associated with Sufi saints and their traditions.
- 4.
This generally refers to a wise man who has knowledge of medicine and practises it.
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Dalal, A.K. (2014). Salience of Indigenous Healing Practices for Health Care Programmes in India . In: Tripathi, R., Sinha, Y. (eds) Psychology, Development and Social Policy in India. Springer, New Delhi. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-81-322-1003-0_10
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