Badung
The Center of Tourism
Badung has 362 Traditional Healers
Many practices of
traditional healings still can be found
in Bali. This healing relies on the spirit
and belief so the use of modern medicine
is very few and far between. People who
take interest in it are progressively
increase, either at rural area or urban
that have been familiar with sophisticated
technology and medical facilities.
For
the government of Badung Regency, practice
of traditional healing in its territory
is not obliged to have a license. Division
of Health Services merely carries out
an official count so it would be easier
to accomplish supervision continually.
Performers of this supervision is the
Public Health Centre that occurs at every
sub district with supervision regularly
held once in three months.
Supervision is focused on medicinal serving,
hygiene of tools used, sanitation and
hygiene of the healer itself. While, for
healers that produce herbal ingredients
is delivered special supervision.
Every year, they are also assisted in
the form of tools that can help the healing.
Such assistance by and large conveyed
on a meeting program that concurrently
functions as a forum to share ideas and
experience among the traditional healers
with physician and medical officer of
the Public Health Centre.
According to I Gusti Ngurah Rai Tirta
Yasa, Section Head of Public Participation
at Badung Division of Health Services,
traditional healers are commonly taken
advantage by middle class downward. Modern
community or higher class prefer to consult
to physician. “We at all times make
over assistance, especially in the form
of childbirth tools for midwife,”
he said to Bali Travel News.
Based on the record of Division of Health
Services, up to these days, there are
362 traditional healers in the territory
of Badung. They are classified into some
categories and the method used in giving
healing services. Some specialize their
profession on the basis of pewisik (command),
religious approach, usadha, spiritual,
massage, ketakson (divine inspiration),
bone fracture and animal’s bite.
They open their practice spreading throughout
all sub districts such as Abiansemal (93),
Mengwi (47), Petang (33), South Kuta (32),
North Kuta (10) and Kuta itself amounting
for 6 persons.
Testimony
of a traditional healer
At the vicinity of Taman Ayun Temple tourist
object, precisely at Angkeb Canging Hamlet,
Gulingan Village, Mengwi or 16 km north
of Denpasar lives a traditional healer
that specializes in bone fracture cases.
He is always visited by many patients.
Apart from local community, his patients
are also physician, nurse or other medical
officers. They are generally cured by
his hand massage. “If the patient
cannot walk, I’ll be ready to come
to his house,” said I Wayan Gabra,
the traditional healer.
Gabra is indeed a specialist who cures
bone fracture. As means of healing, he
employs the oil of paican Ida Bhatara
(divine gift) that assisted with four
bamboo logs, thread and magic dadap leaf
(Erythrina subumbrans). While, the patient
is adequate to bring canang sari or pejati
(one kind of offering). Its charge of
service will depend on patient’s
affordability or based on sincerity. “In
general, bone fracture can recover within
3-4 months,” said the award achiever
presented by Badung Division of Health
Services in last 1980.
He accounted for that profession he deeply
involved was not on his own accord, but
the destiny of the Supreme Being. He told
that when his child got high fever that
could not get recovered soon, he came
to be panic that made him goes out from
his room. Right in the middle of the dead
night, he discerned a shaft of light like
a firefly in his courtyard. Having been
approached, in fact, it was a yellow snail
in suspending position. He then brought
the snail to Griya (home to holy priest)
and asked for information on the signs
or omen he experienced. Afterwards, the
holy priest spelled out that such snail
could be made into oil as means to cure
illnesses.
His first patient who was fortune to recover
in 1975. At that time, he had a guest,
a temple priest from Sari Ubung Hamlet,
Denpasar. It is said that the priest dreamed
to see a traditional healer who could
cure his illness from Mengwi. “By
means of such oil, I accomplished to cure
the priest,” he said. (BTN/015)
