title: Traditional medicine: institutional perceptions and cultural realities.
abstract: Strong interest has developed in the integration of traditional health practices with modern or Western health services, i.e. a fusion of "traditional medicine" and "modern medicine". Pervasive complications, both structural and functional, appear inherent yet not irresolvable in such a fusion. These difficulties are assessed, using examples from the Papua New Guinean situation, and some suggestions are made towards achieving integration of the two modes, with attention also to primary-level health care programmes.
mesh_terms: D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D010219:Papua New Guinea