‘Oral Cancer is a Punishment for my Sins’: Oral Histories of Oral Cancer, Fatalism and Islamic Religious Beliefs in Pakistan

This paper explores how Islamic religious beliefs; spiritual practices and fatalism may act as barriers to a diagnosis of oral cancer in Rawalpindi/Islamabad Pakistan. The qualitative methodology is oral history and interviews took place with fifteen women diagnosed with oral cancer and receiving treatment in hospital. The research provides a model illustrating how religiosity, fatalism and the social determinants of health exist on a continuum and influence the perspectives of women in Pakistan, contributing to their late presentation and diagnosis of oral cancer. Analysis of the patients' oral histories, suggests improved communication between medical professionals and integration of spiritual/traditional healers into the existing health care system of Pakistan which may assist in reducing oral health inequalities.