Western and Traditional Healthcare

Healthcare professionals have been trying to establish western healthcare in Haiti due to the increasing number of Haitians being infected by AIDS. However, Haitians choose to see voodoo priests instead of western medical doctors because religion is very important to them and voodoo priests provide the spiritual healing they seek. The consequence of western doctors not understanding the importance of voodoo religion in the treatment process is the biggest deterrent to Haitians accepting western healthcare. Instead of trying to make Haitians change their beliefs, healthcare professionals should work with voodoo priests to increase AIDS awareness. Undoubtedly, their role as a trusted spiritual advisor and healer would be used to influence Haitian acceptance of western healthcare.
Voodoun or Voodoo is a spiritual healing tradition in Haiti, which combines Catholicism and African practices. The slave and ex-slave communities in colonial Caribbean used voodoo practices and folk medicine to solve their health and mental health problems; they passed this knowledge down to future generations. Voodooists also believe in animism, the view that everything in the world is one, one source, one mind and will, as well as the world is full of spiritual entities. They also relied on knowledge of herbs and other medicines to manage their healthcare (Handley & Jacoby, 2005).
Voodoo Priests use traditional healing methods to treat the physical or psychological illness of a client. They interpret illness in a cultural context that Haitians understand, thus, they can provide individualized treatments that is unique to the clients needs. Voodoo priests understand that Haitian culture is deeply rooted in spiritually and religion. The main method of treatment voodoo priests use to attend to their clients needs is direct spiritual intervention. According to Moodley and Sutherland (2010), Voodoo is a system that integrates the natural and the supernatural world. Indeed, Haitians

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