Illness behavior, medical pluralism and non-compliance to biomedicine: Reflections from fieldwork in addis ababa

Non-compliance to biomedicine is one of the major challenges to public health officials and physicians mainly in developing countries. The evaluation of symptoms and the subsequent decision to seek help involves complex processes. The accessibility of biomedicine alone does not ensure the utilization of the service. Many socio-cultural and economic factors come into play in the decision making process of patients. This brief ethnographic account therefore shades light on the illness behavior, noncompliance to biomedicine and the patterns of resort in Addis Ababa.