Poverty, ignorance, high cost of treatment affects health care delivery
A Consultant Nephrologist, Dr Theophillus Umeizudike, on Tuesday said many Nigerians could not access adequate medical care due to poverty, ignorance and cost of treatment.
Umeizudike, also a lecturer at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, made the assertion in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos.
“The fact that the earning power of people is low discourages them from going for medical check-up in case they find something wrong with their health.
“Many people are also ignorant that simple check-up can detect or prevent diseases like kidney disease or heart problems,’’ he said.
The consultant said that regular free medical screening should be encouraged to enable people to detect and prevent early signs of diseases.
He said the Federal and State Governments should strengthen the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to enable those with health challenges to go for treatment.
“In that way, more people will be encouraged to go for screening to know their health status,’’ Umeizudike said.
The expert urged people to imbibe the culture of healthy living by cutting back on salt intake, do regular exercise, taking fruits and lots of water.
“By the time people cultivate this healthy lifestyle, the chances of coming down with kidney failure or heart disease and high blood pressure will be reduced.
“Many people do not check their Blood Pressures (BP) regularly because, High Blood Pressure (HBP) in over 95 per cent of people do not show symptoms.
“So, if you do not have headaches, a symptom of HBP or pains, you may not bother to see a healthcare provider,’’ Umeizudike said.
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1 Comments
-Caleb university Lagos
Behavior change communication (BCC) is an interactive process of any intervention with individuals,
communities
and/or societies (as integrated with an overall program) to develop communication
strategies to promote positive behaviors which are appropriate to their
settings. This in turn provides a supportive environment which will enable
people to initiate, sustain and maintain positive and desirable behavior
outcomes. This is a campaign on behavioral change on health lifestyle, which
urges people to cultivate healthy life style and check their HBP (High blood
pressure). It also seeks people to eat good food and also avoid harmful
substances that can affect health i.e. kidney, liver. They also urges challenge
to government to strengthen health insurances so as to help people which are of
low classes cultivate the habit of visiting the hospital so they won’t be
scared of bills. And to also create awareness to people that health is wealth. It
also urges for regular free check-up for citizens who can’t afford it and to
also create awareness. The health belief model is applicable to this which
states that it explains and predicts health-related behaviors, particularly in
regard to the uptake of health services. The health belief model was developed
in the 1950s by social psychologists at the U.S. Public Health Service and remains one
of the best known and most widely used theories in health behavior research.
The health belief model suggests that people’s beliefs about health problems,
perceived benefits of action and barriers to action, and self-efficacy
explain engagement (or lack of engagement) in health-promoting behavior.
We will review and take appropriate action.