ABSTRACT
The previous sections have shown that in the Eastern Highlands illness behaviour and the accompanying pattern of health care utilisation which together form the central theme of this study, encompass a complex process of seeking and obtaining medical care expressed in terms of multiple and differential utilisation of the plural medical system. According to the results of the health interview survey, the Oromo substantially utilise the traditional system while the Amhara make more use of the modern system with the transitional system occupying a middle position for both groups. In addition, a comparison between utilisation ratios of the modern medical system and the planning-norm devised by King (1966) for the whole of Africa has shown that the modern medical system is under-utilised by the population in the research area to a very great extent.
