Practice of Traditional and Complementary Medicine Among Health Professionals in Malaysia

Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world with well-established health system that provide universal coverage of essential services to its citizen. The country is blessed with multi-ethnic societies rich with cultural heritage. Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM) based on Malay, Chinese and Indian practice modalities have been in existence for more than a century. In 2006, the government of Malaysia took a bold step to formally integrate T&CM into the national health system of Malaysia. This book reports the outcome of a study conducted among health professionals in five major hospitals in Malaysia covering their knowledge, practical experience and attitudes toward T&CM. Four of the hospitals were integrated hospitals providing various modalities of T&CM to patients on regular basis. Qualitative and quantitative methods were employed in the study in order to obtain valid and reliable information from the respondents. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists practicing modern medicine in these five hospitals filled up self-administered questionnaires. The respondents were subsequently selected to participate in a more detail in-depth interviews. The book provides the best reference on the acceptance of T&CM in the modern health system that can be used as guide to policy makers in other parts of the world that plan to embark on the similar policies.