ABSTRACT
A study was made of the training and performance of village health workers near Lagos, and of the management of the scheme to which they belonged. Among the deficiencies observed were inadequate drug control and poor record-keeping. Nevertheless, the scheme led to a significant extension of primary health care coverage.
PIP: In 1982, the Institute of Child Health and Primary Care (IHCPC) in Lagos, Nigeria, was asked to develop a primary health care (PHC) service for a rural population of about 35,000 people in 56 villages approximately 50 km. from Lagos. A core of volunteer village health workers (VVHW) would be established. A health care center was completed. The 1st step was to encourage village health committees to form. Then VVHS are nominated for training. Initial training lasts 3 weeks and takes place in the community. There have been 4 courses; 82 village health workers have been trained. The trainers are PHC workers connected to the ICHPC who have been trained. The courses cover promotional, curative, and preventive activities. Active learning is encouraged; song and dance are used. At graduation, a formal occasion, certificates and drug kits are given out. They contain essential drugs, which are donated. There are sufficient drugs for 3-6 months. The workers are advised to sell the drugs to the villagers at a small profit. They keep the profit, and get some pay. The rest of the selling price resupplies the drug fund. VVHWs are supervised by a midlevel PHC worker, the community health assistant. The ICHPC field research team interviewed 75 of the 82 VVHWs. The number of patients seen by VVHWs in a month ranged from none to 300; the average was 17.8. 91% of the villages have a VVHW service. The activities of 75 VVHWs during 1 month in relation to selected characteristics in rural Ogun State, 1987 are presented in tabular form. Of the 82 VVHWs who were trained, 10 became nonfunctioning over a period of 4 years. Service management should have attention paid to it. Drug stocks with VVHWs are shown in tabular form. Record keeping was not very good. Active village health committees were interfering with the VVHWs. The role of the village health committees in relation to the VVHWs has now changed, but it is difficult to provide supervision for the VVHWs.
Subject(s)
Community Health Workers/standards , Adult , Clinical Competence , Community Health Workers/education , Female , Humans , Job Description , Male , Middle Aged , NigeriaABSTRACT
This paper examines the help which elderly Nigerians get in the form of services from family, relatives and non-relatives and the effect of their age, sex, location (urban/rural) and state of health on the provision of these services. Children are by far the most important source of services, followed by grandchildren. Few old people have neither children nor grandchildren available to help them. Lack of household help was more common for women than for men and women were more likely than men to carry on with domestic tasks into extreme old age. Weakness, arthritis and failing vision were the chief health problems leading to a need for more help. Since these are all correlated with age, it is hard to separate these two factors. Increasing levels of migration may deprive old people of their children's services and some move in order to get the care they need.
ABSTRACT
Se estudió el adiestramiento y la actuación de los agentes de salud de aldeas próximas a Lagos y la gestión del programa al que pertenecían. Algunos de los fallos observados fueron el insuficiente control de los fármacos y el mantenimiento deficiente de los registros. No obstante, el plan permitió ampliar considerablemente la cobertura de la atención primaria
Subject(s)
Primary Health Care , Health Personnel/education , Community Participation , NigeriaABSTRACT
A study was made of the training and performance of village health workers near Lagos, and of the management of the scheme to which they belonged. Among the deficiencies observed were inadequate drug control and poor record-keeping. Nevertheless, the scheme led to a significant extension of primary health care coverage
Subject(s)
Primary Health Care , Health Personnel/education , Community Participation , NigeriaABSTRACT
PIP: Lagos University Teaching Hospital is developing a primary health care (PHC) system for a 50 km square rural area of Ogun State, southwest nigeria. The 1st step in 1984, was to carry out a baseline sample survey of the area. The survey was designed to provide basic demographic, socioeconomic, health status and health practices data. The data was to be used to plan services, set objectives, guide service delivery and provide a baseline for evaluation. The findings of the survey proved extremely useful for planning, and also provided a number of surprises. Health education is an important component of PHC. Hence the extent of female illiteracy as shown by the survey, 78%, was deeply distrubing. The survey revealed that self-medication, including use of antibiotics, was practiced on a greater scale than anticipated. The survey showed a very low immunization status among pre-school children: less than 5% were fully immunized. They had a relatively poor nutritional status also: 36% were below the WHO reference standard. Modern contraceptive prevalence rates, among women in the reproductive age group, were 0. There were severe difficulties with water supply, less than 10% of the population having access to potable water. The average water use per person per day was 8 liters. All these findings, and others not here described, have permitted the setting of appropriate and feasible service objectives, and will permit subsequent monitoring and evaluation of program activities.^ieng
Subject(s)
Health Services Needs and Demand , Health Services Research , Primary Health Care , Adolescent , Child , Child, Preschool , Female , Health Education , Humans , Middle Aged , Nigeria , Pregnancy , Prenatal Care , Primary Health Care/standards , Rural PopulationABSTRACT
In May 1985, the Coordinator for Nursing Affairs of the West African College of Nursing requested the author to organize a short course in applied research methods for senior nurse from the West African Health Community. This paper reports the first such effort in West Africa, with particular reference to health services research in primary health care.
