Advancing Inclusive and Democratic Medical Pluralism in Nepal

Abstract

Medical pluralism is the rule around the world rather than the exception. The type of medical pluralism that exists in many settings, however, is hierarchical, exclusionary, and undemocratic. Medical pluralism has official acceptance in Nepal, where both biomedicine and traditional systems of medicine have legitimate space in formal health care system. However, traditional systems of medicine fall far behind in terms of budgetary allocation, institutional strengths, service delivery, education and research, and local medical systems have not yet attained legitimate status. This paper offers a perspective on the structure of medical pluralism and suggests some measures that can contribute to Nepal's efforts toward inclusive and democratic medical pluralism.