CHAPTER ONE
1.0 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
INTRODUCTION
Over the years, there have been no comprehensive documented information which could provide a good picture of the state of people’s health that could help to reduce the high mortality rates in the country. All through the ages, certain disease and infections have constituted a major threat to the health and lives of the people especially in developing countries like Nigeria where there is lack of adequate and efficient health care services provided by the government either to prevent or cure such diseases. Ransome Kuti (1990).
The concept of health care delivery services could be seen as in initiative and effort that is geared towards the promotion of people’s health in terms of preventing and curing certain prevalence diseases and infections affecting individuals’ health thereby reducing mortality and morbidity rate. Health care services seeks actively and directly to promote the health of the people. (Janeway, Conger, 1973). He further said that the purpose of health care service, is primarily to prevent the spread of communicable diseases with the aim to protecting the entire community members. According to Ransome-Kuti (1990) he said that in Nigerian community, most people die especially children below the age of five years mainly from preventable diseases and infections or those diseases that can be easily cured if diagnosed and treated early. He further stressed that some women of childbearing age are at risk of certain diseases and infections and they die in large numbers because they lack adequate health care services. He also emphasized that it is possible to prevent common childhood diseases like poliomyelitis, measles etc through immunization.
Few death occur among school children and teenagers, who however, suffer from many episodes of ill health such as malaria, cough, anemia and problems of adolescences and these can be competently tackled by a well-designed and implemented school health care service. In his research, he further highlighted that the major causes of death among adults are road accidents and chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, liver cirrhosis and cancer. He further said that many chronic diseases such as cancers of the lung, liver and heart diseases can be caused by dangerous health habit such as smoking, alcoholism and overeating.
In this contemporary Nigeria community, HIV/AIDS, hypertension and diabetes, liver cirrhosis and cancer seem to constitute a major threat to the health and lives of youth and adults. In the recent time, there have been mass immigration of people from rural area to urban in the quest to find a greener pasture in urban cities. As a result, there is over-population in most cites in Nigeria. This has created unpleasant environment for a healthy populace because of lack of health facilities and inadequate health care services by the government to her people.
The health services of Nigeria have evolved through a series of historical development including a succession of policies and plans which have been introduced by previous administrations. The health care services are judged to be unsatisfactory and inadequate in meeting the needs and demands of the public which is reflected by the low state of health of the population (Sorugbe, Bamisaiye, 1990).
Most of deaths and serious illness occurring among Nigerians are due to conditions that are easily preventable or can be treated with simple remedies. Communicable diseases especially those associated with inadequate environmental sanitation and poor personal hygiene, HIV/AIDS, hypertension and diabetes. Lack of timely and appropriate health care services often increases the risk.
All over the world, the awareness of the fact that it is not possible for a community to rely on the existing government for its total growth and development has resulted in the use of non governmental organizations. In developing countries like Nigeria, the existence of non-governmental organizations has become a necessity because of the inability of health sservices in the public sector to meet the health care needs and other social needs of the people.
In recent time, Nigeria has had a lot of problems with her economy which is devastating. The poor state of economy, public funds are just inadequate due to low revenue base and high rate of public expenditure. This economic problem has engineered the existences of NGOs (non-governmental organizations) in Nigeria to complement the health care services provided in the public sector by exploring and accessing alternative sources of funds that are not available to governments. Such funds include special grants from established foundations, United Nations Agencies, International development agencies and other institutions.
The concept of NGOs (Non-governmental organizations) is a voluntary and philanthropic organization that responds to health needs of Nigerians. We have non-governmental health organizations whose main focus is to respond to health needs of her community members. E.g at local level, we have Association for Reproductive and Family Health (ARFH) whose main priority is to respond to the reproductive and family health needs of Nigerians, at international level, we have UNICEF concerning with child health at a global level. There is also NGOs who came out of established corporate body whose corporate social responsibility is geared towards health care services e.g UBA foundation, MTN foundation, RCCG Aids Campaign Agency etc.
It is as a result of this background that this study set out to appraise health care delivery services in Nigeria through these non-governmental agencies participation using ARFH (Association for Reproductive and Family Health)as a case study.
1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Over the years there have been fluctuation in government health care service policy in Nigeria which has led into unstable commitment of government budget to health care. The present democratic government sees health of her people as one the basic need in order to protect and grow a healthy populace that will facilitate a greater productivity for a vibrant economy.lt was observed that this government health care delivery service is incapable of meeting the health needs of the Nigeria people. This is noticeable by the increasing adolescent health problems, and this has brought in the participation of NGOs to complement the effort of government on health care services.
The researcher is therefore prompted by this menace to conduct this research study to appraise the level of ARFH participation in the delivery of reproductive health care services.
1.2 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
The purpose of this study is to:
i. Appraise the level of ARFH participation in the provision and delivery of health care services through the media
ii. Determine the level of people benefits from ARFH’s reproductive health care in its delivery to the entire communities members.
1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
i. What is the level ARFH participation in the provision and delivery of health care services?
ii. What is the level of people’s benefits from ARFH reproductive health care delivery to the entire communities?
