Dachtech Campus Press
Community health practice by Abdul-kareem Kudirat and Adeyemi Grace
Community health practice refers to provision of health care services, aimed at early diagnoses of diseases, Recognition of environmental occupational hazards to good health and prevention diseases in the community.
The community seem as the hub of community health practice. It is the essential laboratory of teaching, training and research in the subject of community medicinal health. The deal of the community as the center of the health services delivery was advocate as far back in 1960s. from the concept of basic health services, primary health care emerge.
In this regards, the principle of health services in relation to availability, accessibility, acceptability and appropriateness became important consideration in world health organization (W.H.O) health policy from the late 1960s and into the 1970st
The goals of primary health care was to provide accessible health of all by year 2000 and beyond. Unfortunately, this yet to be achieved in Nigeria and seems to be unrealistic in the next decayed in the basic essence of the universal health coverage- making health care accessible available and affordable to the rural poor is ignored to whatever extent.
This work seeks to examine some cross cutting issue in community practices in Nigeria and to outline triggers for community originated man power in Nigeria health system and some prospect in the midst of obvious challenges. Essentially community health practice using the policy and principle of primary health care in Nigeria, especially in rural communities have come a long way and still required more to be done to achieve the goal for health, for all now and beyond.
ADDITIONAL ARTICLE INFORMATION
Policy makers needs to strengthen and revitalized primary health care (PHC) in Nigeria, this is opinion aims to inform policy decision and action by examining the evolution of PHC in Nigeria, the roles of progress or Olukoye Ransome Kuti in the implementation of ALMA ATA declaration, the present state of PHC, t he challenges and opportunity in implement PHC in Nigeria, as well as ways to maximize the opportunities. In 1960, there was no strong focus on health systems development. Policy makers and political actors made efforts to establish and expand health-care infrastructures with more emphasis placed on curative medicine rather than preventive medicine
(1). From 1975 to 1980, health system development was initiated with PHC as the cornerstone,The National Basic Health Services Scheme (NBHSS) was developed based on a PHC approach, Unfortunately, the NBHSS program could not achieve its goals due to implementation challenges; hence, PHC services were not delivered across Nigeria
(2). In 1985, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti was appointed the Minister of Health. Professor Ransome-Kuti adopted PHC in 52 local government areas as models based on Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 (3). Furthermore, Nigeria’s first comprehensive national health policy based on PHC was launched in 1988
(3). From 1986 to 1990, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti expanded PHC to all local governments, achieved universal child immunization of over 80%, and devolved responsibility for PHC to local government areas, Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti worked assiduously between 1985 and 1992 to implement PHC policy based on the Alma Ata Declaration for the benefit of the Nigerian population. Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti introduced a comprehensive national health policy with a focus on PHC, placed emphasis on preventive medicine and health-care services at the grass root, ensured exclusive breast feeding practice, introduced free immunization to children, encouraged the use of oral rehydration therapy by nursing mothers, made compulsory the recording of maternal deaths, and encouraged continuous nationwide vaccination and pioneered effective HIV/AIDS campaign. In 1992, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) was established to ensure that the PHC agenda is continued and sustained The military takeover of government that occurred in 1993 brought to an end the giant strides recorded under the leadership of Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti from 1985 to 1992.
Twenty-four years after the leadership of Professor Olikoye Ransome-Kuti, the need to strengthen the PHC in Nigeria is relevant as ever before. The current state of PHC system in Nigeria is appalling with only about 20% of the 30,000 PHC facilities across Nigeria working .Presently, most of the PHC facilities in Nigeria lack the capacity to provide essential health-care services, in addition to having issues such as poor staffing, inadequate equipment, poor distribution of health workers, poor quality of health-care services, poor condition of infrastructure, and lack of essential drug supply ,In part, problems with the implementation of PHC in Nigeria are related to the hand over in 1980s to the local government administration, which is the weakest level of government .The impact of local government administration on the people in Nigeria still remains a subject of intense debate and argument . Conversely, the Alma Ata Declaration has been successfully implemented by countries such as Thailand, Cuba, China, and Mexico In conclusion, PHC policy in Nigeria can be strengthened through the implementation of the Abuja Declaration, thereby increasing domestic resources for health and improved budgetary allocation for the management of PHC. Governments should redirect resources for health care from curative services to preventive services in order to improve PHC infrastructures, encourage the migration of health workers from urban areas to rural areas, and provide acceptable level of health-care services for all, thereby reducing the gross inequality in health status of the people.
Political actors and policy makers could guarantee the right to health of all citizens by signing and implementing the necessary legislation.
GOALS OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE (PHC)
1) Health begins at home, in schools and in the work places because it is there where people live and work hat health is made or broken.
2) It also means that people will use better approaches than they do now for preventing diseases and alleviating unavoidable diseases and disabilities and have better ways of growing work, growing old and dying gracefully.
3) It also means that there will be even distribution, among the population of whatever resourses for health are available.
4) It means that essential health services will be accessible to all individuals and families in ad acceptable and avoidable ways.
ELEMENT of essential health services in PHC
E- EDUCATION FOR HEALTH
L- LOCALLY ENDEMIC DISEASE CONTROL
E- EXPANDED PROGRAM FOR IMMUNIZATION
M- MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH INCLUDING RESPONSIBLE PARENTHOOD
E- ESSENTIAL DRUGS
N- NUTRITION
T- TREATMENT OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES
OBJECTIVE
Build a consumer-focused integrated primary health care System
Improve access and reduce inequity
Increase the focus on health promotion and prevention screening, and early intervention
Improve quality safety, performance and accountability
Name- Adeyemi Grace
Department- Community Health
Level- National Diploma II
Contact- +2349086391024
G mail- ***********
That's good...it's explicit
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