Assessment of The Preference for Traditional Medicine Among Patients Diagnosed with Cancer in Federal Medical Centre Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria

Introduction: Traditional medicine (TM) is a culturally adopted treatment method that is widely used without limitation to types of illnesses. Thus, even many patients diagnosed with cancer and referred for treatment at Oncology and Palliative Clinic in Federal Medical Centre Makurdi admitted using TM. Objectives: This study examined the reasons that drive patients diagnosed with cancer’s preference for traditional medicine for the treatment of the disease. Method: The study was a survey research design and 135 cancer patients responded to a self-developed questionnaire. The participants comprised of males 40(29.63%) and females 95(70.37%) with the age Mean = 51.16±10.87. Results: The hypotheses tested showed that; many patients diagnosed with cancer have a significantly higher preference for the use of traditional medicine as a treatment alternative to their illness at χ2 (1, = 70) = 11.57f, p = 0.044. Many cancer patients did not have significantly positive belief that traditional medicine has effective potency to be used for treatment of cancer at χ2 (1, = 70) = 0.58, p = 0.445. Affordability, cultural belief, poverty, misinformation, family members persuasion, and lack of knowledge significantly influence many cancer patients’ preference for the use of traditional medicine at χ2 (1, = 70) = 2.29, p = 0.130. Conclusion: The preference for TM undoubtedly contributes in part to patients’ delayed treatment and disease progression. Thus, it is pertinent for the government to collaborate with the healthcare professionals to adopt a community-based sensitization programme to discourage this disadvantageous health seeking behaviour.