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Alternative medicine use at Vila Central Hospital: a survey of ‘custom medicine’ use in patients and staff a decade later

A structured questionnaire was administered to 50 medical patients, 50 surgical patients and 50 staff members at Vila Central Hospital, Vanuatu. A similar study was conducted 10 years earlier. In the intervening decade, Vanuatu has seen unprecedented population growth, increasing expatriate numbers, and the introduction of mobile phone and Internet networks. Given these social transformations, this study aimed to identify changes in custom medicine use over this period. Fifty-nine percent of interviewees had used custom medicine at least once, compared to 86% reported in the 2003 study. Thirty-two percent had used custom medicine in the last 12 months, a significant decline from 60% in the previous study. Collectively, rates of custom medicine use have declined but especially in the physical therapies such as bone setting. We believe this declining custom medicine use reflects an overall weakening traditional culture within Vanuatu and believe that within a generation, custom medicine knowledge will likely be lost.