European Academic Research ISSN 2286-4822
ISSN-L 2286-4822
Impact Factor: 3.4546 (UIF)
DRJI Value : 5.9 (B+)
Article Details :
Article Name :
Assessment of Community Participation in Healthcare Programmes by Local Communities in Northern Nigeria
Author Name :
SALIHU AHMED, SAADATU DADA HASSAN, USMAN BAPPI
Publisher :
Bridge Center
Article URL :
Abstract :
Health care service is the main focus for all the developed and developing nations. Provisions of health facilities to all citizens is something that has been declared by the world health organization in Geneva 1978 at the international conference on primary health care Alma-Ata. However, the state of the health care systems in Nigeria is something to be worried looking at the high rate of infant and maternal mortality that usually occurs at the rural or local areas. This is sometimes attributed to lack of participation of local communities in the health care programmes organised by the government and other non-governmental organisations. Therefore, this paper assessed the level of community participation in health programmes organised by health care centres in northern Nigeria. The paper covers three (3) states of Bauchi, Kano, and Nasarawa from North East, North West, and North Central respectively. The paper is a survey research and uses primary data which were collected by means of structured questionnaires and focus group discussion (FGD). The results were analysed using simple percentage and presented using tables. The results were categorised based on demographic data and questions related the objectives of the research. The results show that community people in the selected states usually participate in health programmes at individual levels, traditional leaders as well as religious leaders. Traditional leaders have the highest participation in all the three states with 95% of the responses followed by individual with 94%. Participation of religious leaders is less with 44%. The results also indicate vomiting and diarrhea as the most commonly sign of most diseases among children in the rural areas with 89% response in all the three states. The paper recommends that government and NGOs should create more awareness and sensitization to local communities on utilizing health facilities as well as using indigenes of local communities among the health workers for ease familiarization and acceptability. It aslo recommends periodic meeting between health workers, traditional and religious leaders for mutual understanding towards providing health services to local communities.
Keywords :
Community Participation, Health Care Programmes, Local Communities, Northern Nigeria, Primary Health Care
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