Indigenous Health Practices for Infant and Child Health in Ghana

Abstract

Under the aegis of ‘Sankofa’, this article argues that there is the need to contest indigenous health practices and its relevance in contemporary health care system in Ghana. Using qualitative data from selected communities in Central, Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions, this article seeks to unearth the current state of indigenous health practices for infant and child health in Ghana. Information were collected from In-Depth Interviews, Participant Observation and Focus Group, involving grand/mothers and the elders in the selected communities of the three Regions for the study. The article argues that each society hands down information and knowledge on infant and child health from generation to generation by teaching certain attitudes, practices, beliefs, legends, customs and habits. Studies conducted so far in Ghana, have played oblivion to bringing out the Ghanaian nuances on indigenous health practices and the specific developmental stages of children. Since majority of the respondents could speak Akan dialects, the article therefore employs the Akan terms for ‘infant and child’ as a tutelage for presenting the results and discussions. The article further argues for the need for complementary health practices based on both the indigenous and modern health practices for infant and child health in Ghana.

Keywords: Child, Infant, Sankofa, Indigenous Health Practices, Ghana.