Perceptions of Leprosy in the Orang Asli (Indigenous Minority) of Peninsular Malaysia

This chapter investigates the occurrence, treatment, and social presentation of leprosy in the Orang Asli, and discusses how, in light of their status as the indigenous minority of Peninsular Malaysia, leprosy assumes additional social configurations beyond its clinical manifestations. Core data were collected and analyzed using qualitative methodologies. Thirty-two detailed case studies were completed with leprosy inpatients at Gombak Hospital, each based on an extended semistructured interview. Thematic analysis of the interview data resulted in emerging trends that critically addressed the research objective. In the context of Gombak Hospital, leprosy is an illness where notions of responsibility, compliance, and stigma collide, and where experiences of health, illness, and treatment-seeking behavior are expressed along ideological and ethnic lines. Understanding the sociopolitical determinants of illness and the complexities around seeking and adhering to treatment enables us to better appreciate the context in which the delivery of health care functions.