Understanding the Pattern of Health Seeking Behaviour of Indigenous Communities: A Discussion on Rajbanshis of Koch Bihar

Abstract

Individual or community Health care seeking is always linked to a decision-making process that is influenced by a variety of variables, including household habits, social norms, health beliefs and disease perceptions, as well as the accessibility and availability of medical facilities. Thus, care seeking is diverse in nature. Indigenous communities define medical care, illness etiology, and treatment within social contexts. Their recent embrace of contemporary medications and medical facilities has changed the nature of care seeking behaviour. The current study is based on a primary field study that was carried out among the Rajbanshis of Koch Bihar and demonstrates the type and degree of indigenous peoples' acceptance of both traditional and modern health care systems.