Rural health care: Malaysian physicians' opinions about traditional Malay medicine and hospital assistants--a pilot study.

Although traditional healers throughout the world (local folk healers as well as practitioners of regional medical systems, such as Ayurveda) practice in urban areas (Press, 1969; 1978; Ruiz & Langrod, 1977; Dunn, 1976; Harwood, 1971) most of them work in rural settings. The Director General of the World Health Organisation's directive "Health for all by the year 2000," emphasizes primary health care in rural areas (Mahler, 1971), alternative approaches in health care delivery, including greater reliance on auxiliary health workers (WHO Chronicle, 1976; Djukanovic & Mach; 1975; Mahler, 1974) and increased use of, or cooperation with, traditional healers and their medicine (Mahler, 1977; Singer, 1977; WHO Chronicle, 1977; Ademnwazun, 1976; WHO, 1975). Such renewed emphasis implies changes within the health care systems now operating in most countries.