Community Participation in the National Development Plan Through Primary Health Care

The chapter explores and describes community participation in the National Development Plan through Primary Health Care by using case studies of LGBT organizations in South Africa. Post-Apartheid and democratic South Africa has endorsed community participation as one of the fundamental pillars of the public Primary Health Care approach in its governance structures. This chapter focuses on the current major health issue in South Africa, the HIV epidemic, which is one of the leading causes of death in the country. Particular attention is paid to members of the LGBT community because of their discrimination in public healthcare facilities on grounds of their sexual orientation. The chapter relies on secondary sources of data collection from extant literature, textbooks, journal articles, and internet sources. Challenges to address LGBT community discrimination in HIV testing, prevention, treatment, care, and support were identified and solutions to uphold their human rights were proffered. These solutions are based on the principles of social justice, inclusion, diversity, and equality.

The Nexus of Tamed Bureaucracy and Better Health Outcomes for Consumers in Nigeria's Health Institutions

Health institution is a typology of formal organization that is designed manifestly to ensure the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of the sick and the wounded. There are three levels of health institutions in Nigeria: the primary, secondary, and the tertiary/specialist care organizations. Their clienteles range from the infants, very young, adolescents, middle-aged, and the very old afflicted with acute or chronic health conditions, contagious or non-communicable disorders. A number of healthcare workers are involved in the process of patients/clients' care and treatment. The process and the divergent human resources in the healthcare industry tend to throw up “red-tapism” and complex bottlenecks resulting from specialization, hierarchy of authority, and chains of command of bureaucracy. The chapter relying on guided participant observation, desk research, and key informants interrogated this phenomenon. The chapter concludes that if bureaucracy is tamed, there is bound to be better health outcome for health consumers in health institutions in Nigeria.

Dependents and Deviants

Forty-two states have considered a mandatory vaccination for school-age girls, but the proposed legislation is most often met with hostility and it rarely succeeds. Using newspaper articles from Arizona, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Texas, and Virginia during these legislative sessions, narrative analysis is used to find common themes in the debate, including a medical/clinical approach, “government to the rescue,” individual cost constraint/access issues, logical narrative, sexuality/morality issues, parental rights, vaccination ethics, skepticism, and negative assumptions toward African-American girls. Using Schneider and Ingram's social construction theory, further discussion points to a better understanding of the target populations of this public policy. In reviewing this health policy debate, it is suggested that considerations go beyond the perceived health benefits of the policy and spill over into the civil and social welfare rights of the legislation.

Policy Value and Primary Healthcare Delivery in Rural Nigeria

The health of a people is a major social capital to be prioritized and optimized for the growth and development of any country. Therefore, any government desirous of development should make healthcare delivery one of the cornerstones of its policy on development. In pursuance of these goals, the purpose of this chapter is to examine the dominant policy value, particularly the failure to faithfully implement government policies and achieve set goals. The method applied in the study is participant observatory method, using the basic need theory (BNT) as theoretical framework of analysis. The findings revealed that policy values frustrate the attainment of sustainable primary healthcare delivery in Nigeria. Challenges were highlighted such as improper monitoring and evaluation of policies, inadequate funding, program implementation, and lack of skilled professionals. The chapter concludes by suggesting opportunities to open primary healthcare delivery in the rural areas.

Work Leadership, Occupational Health, and Safety

Occupational health and safety (OHS) systems are designed to identify and minimize risks at the workplace. A thriving business community should seek to create jobs, wealth, good leadership, safe, and healthy working conditions that are essential for production of goods and provisions of services. Therefore, managers have a legal and moral duty to safeguard the health and safety of those who work for them, and the exercise of these duties needs to be seen as central to the role of leadership. There is a growing interest among researchers and organizational practitioners about occupational safety in recent years. The chapter provides an exhaustive discourse on the relevance of occupational health and safety systems in modern day workplaces as well as the nexus between management leadership and occupational health and safety. It highlights the guiding principles to leadership and key issues in efficient administration of OHS. The chapter concludes by recommending the role leaders should play to improve safety and health in the workplace.

The Healthcare Financing and Health Outcomes in Zambia

This chapter aims to find out the sources of healthcare financing in Zambia to provide health facilities for protecting the people's right to receive healthcare and to know the health outcomes. The study revealed that significant progress is made in addressing the MDGs of health. But the achievement is less than the targets. The total health expenditure and the per capita health expenditure is less than other middle-income countries and the global average. The percent of government expenditure on healthcare to total government expenditure is also less than the target. The donor financing and out-of-pocket health expenditure are higher than the limit suggested by WHO. The private medical insurance and social insurance schemes are still in the initial stages of development. There is regional inequality in the healthcare facilities.

Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Maternal Health in Nigeria

This chapter addresses the feasibility of Nigeria achieving Target 3.1 of Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims at reducing maternal deaths to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030. Maternal deaths occur due to lack of access to maternal healthcare, which encompasses the healthcare dimensions of family planning, preconception, prenatal, and postnatal care for women. Nigeria is presently the second largest contributor to maternal deaths globally, having a maternal mortality ratio of 814 per 100,000 live births. Will Nigeria achieve this goal by 2030? This chapter assesses the maternal health landscape of Nigeria and the measures taken by the government to address maternal health from the perspective of the feasibility of achieving SDG 3, Target 3.1 by 2030.

Integrating Human Rights, Equity, and Social Justice in Health Policies in America and Nigeria

Persisting absence of human rights, widening inequality, and social justice in healthcare delivery systems within and between countries present significant challenges to the focus and practice of contemporary public health. This chapter compares how cases of human rights, equity, and social justice are integrated in America's and Nigeria's healthcare policies. Qualitative research and case study design were adopted. Data were collected from secondary sources, such as reviewed literature, textbooks, journal articles, government reports, and internet. Content and critical case studies analysis methods were utilized to analyze, explain, and compare America's and Nigeria's health policies. Findings reveal absence of human rights, equity, and social justice among sub-groups in healthcare service delivery in America and Nigeria. The chapter concludes by suggesting that human rights, equity, and social justice should be integrated into health policies of America and Nigeria in order to make access to healthcare service delivery a right for citizens.

Linking Primary Healthcare Policies With Health System for Improved Health Outcomes in Nigeria

Quality healthcare is a fundamental right of all citizens of any nation. In Nigeria, there are disparities in terms of quality of healthcare provided to different groups in the rural and urban areas. It is this desire to ensure access to potential patients and the existence of a quality healthcare system in Nigeria that necessitates primary healthcare policy. The purpose of this chapter, therefore, is to investigate how primary healthcare policies affect health system performance and health outcomes in Nigeria. The chapter adopted qualitative research approach. Secondary data were collected from secondary sources, such as textbooks, journal articles, newspapers, WHO reports, government records, and internet. Content and secondary data analysis methods were adopted to analyze, interpret, and answer the research questions. Findings show that health outcomes remain poor because of weak health system as infant and maternal mortality are still high and universal access coverage still low. The chapter concludes that a strong health system would improve health outcomes.

Discrimination Against People With HIV and AIDS in the Workplace

The main thrust of the chapter was to explore the discrimination experienced by people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHIV) in the workplace in Lagos State. A purposive sample of 80 PLHIV was selected from two local government areas (LGAs) of Lagos state: Epe, a rural setting, and Lagos Mainland, an urban one. Secondary data were obtained from internet sources while primary data were collected through structured interviews September 2005–April 2006. Data were analyzed using SPSS versions 11 and 13. Data between and within the rural and urban areas were also analyzed comparatively. The results indicate that PLHIV experienced instant dismissal from offices, mandatory HIV tests, alienation, denial of promotion, and exclusion from insurance schemes. This indicates that PLHIV's rights were violated. The study recommends intensive HIV education and enforcement of national HIV policy and international legal instruments in the workplace to protect PLHIV's rights.