It is now home to an ethnic minority community that exceeds three million, and these cultural norms may impact on healthcare provision in many ways.
Most societies now exhibit cultural pluralism.
But the majority of the human race has always believed in and continues to believe in universal ethical principles. In spite of their areas of disagreement, religious and rational fundamentalists can and must agree that freedom of belief and tolerance of the beliefs of others are essential first principles. With rapid advances in transportation and communication, there is every possibility that our appreciation of the enormous heterogeneity of human beliefs and practices will increase even further. Death practices, for example, vary considerably between cultures. 7 Such variety of cultural expression can at times pose real tensions for those seeking to deliver patient centred care.