A brief qualitative study of indigenous traditional medicine providers in Timor-Leste

Abstract

Providers of Traditional Timorese Medicine are an essential resource in rural communities, contributing greatly to the overall health of individuals in Timor-Leste. Their identity and role in healthcare has not been widely investigated and functions outside of the National Health System. The objective of this qualitative study is to describe the role of providers of Timorese Traditional Medicine in Timor-Leste and their practice of medicine. To perform this research, semi-structured interviews were performed with providers of Traditional Timorese Medicine in the rural district of Viqueque. Interviews took place at providers’ homes in Tetun and, after translation into English, interview content was analyzed and emergent common themes identified. The seven providers of Timorese Traditional Medicine interviewed mostly identified themselves as either a Liman Badain, Matan-Dook, or reported no title. Another identified himself by his political position as village chief, Xefe-Suku. Emergent themes from interview content included 1) Medical pluralism, reflecting that Timorese frequently use more than one medical system; 2) Spiritual sickness, reflecting illness and treatments commonly involving ancestral spirits or supernatural forces; and 3) Familial knowledge, reflecting healing practices and knowledge often kept within a family and passed down across generations. Generally, providers reported that the most common symptoms they treated in their practice were illnesses/misfortunes related to a woman’s gynecologic health and were obstetric in nature, especially concerns regarding reproductive health. This qualitative study provides information about the key role of select individual providers of Timorese Traditional Medicine and adds to the limited existing knowledge. Further qualitative and quantitative research must be done to further characterize the identities and role of different providers of Traditional Timorese Medicine.