Figure 1

Crossovers between certified and non-certified treatment providers among women dying of fatal non-communicable diseases (n = 250). Figure 1 illustrates the convoluted care-seeking pathways for non-communicable diseases. Among women dying of fatal NCDs, 71% first went to non-certified providers, while approximately 23% first sought care from certified providers. Of the 192 women who sought a second stage of care, 66% sought certified medical treatment, and 34% sought treatment from non-certified providers. There were more crossovers from non-certified treatment to certified treatment rather than vice versa at each stage of treatment except for the final stages. In the final stages of care seeking, women often resorted to palliative care from homeopathic providers when they were told that no further medical treatment could be provided due to the advanced stage of disease.