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Bates College

Publication Date

Fall 2017

Program Name

India: Public Health, Policy Advocacy, and Community

Abstract

The following study seeks to investigate access to health care services and perceptions of health care among women residing in traditional farming communities around the Ladakh region, and to analyze perspectives on health, health-seeking behavior, and access to health care. This project was prompted by the fact that health care in this region is understudied. This study also focuses on marginalized communities including local women and immigrant women. Methods used for the collection of data were qualitative interviews conducted with 24 women, as well as an amchi worker, doctors, and informal and formal conversations with people from different nongovernmental Organizations (NGOs). Interview questions consisted of open-ended questions, which concerned perceptions of health, health-seeking behaviors, and access to health care. This study seeks to contribute to literature regarding health care in Ladakh by analyzing accessibility of both health care and awareness of the best practices in order to stay healthy. A limitation of the study is the sample size is small and due to seasonal safety restraints, interviews could not be conducted with a more remote population that may have little to no access to health care. Also, note that this fieldwork project cannot be used to generalize the entire Leh district or even the specific communities studied.

Disciplines

Alternative and Complementary Medicine | Asian Studies | Community Health and Preventive Medicine | Health Policy | Medicine and Health | Public Health | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Women's Health | Women's Studies

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