The New Governor of Bali Wayan Koster has announced he will set up kiosks in public hospitals to make traditional healing available there. This will not be easy since in Bali there is great diversity in the healers available, including Balian Usada who study traditional palm-leaf texts and Balian Takson who go into trance to access supernatural influences. Some traditional practitioners, like birth assistants, called Balian Manak, have been easily integrated into public health under the supervision of midwives. Others, like traditional bone-setters, called Balian Tulang, have their own superior practical skills and remain robustly independent.

The Balinese are already remarkably eclectic in their search for health care, trying one healer after another until they find a cure for their ills. Whatever structures the Governor sets up, he is essentially adding another layer to a system already providing a diverse and nuanced health service. He can be assured that his kiosks will be quickly checked out by the public. Patients who are helped will return in due course with offerings of thanks at the hospital’s temple for Dewi Saraswati, since all healers, modern and traditional, gain their skills through dedication to learning the healing arts.