Undergraduate School Curriculum Research Articles

Perception of Health Professionals on the National Health Act, 2014, in University College Hospital, Ibadan

Abstract Background: The National Health Bill was the most debated bill from the legislative arm of government since 1999 and yet, many health professionals are largely unaware of its details. There had been insufficient health legislation establishing a unified national health system in Nigeria, such as provided for in the National Health Act (NHA), 2014, leading to duplication of functions and laws. Health professionals, being key policy actors and at the front line of healthcare, easily notice the impact of policies set by actors in the health-care system. Therefore, their knowledge and perception of the NHA as legitimate, will compel obedience with the provisions of the act, and also create a basis for stronger advocacy for its implementation for the overall strengthening of the health-care system that the act intends to provide a legal framework for. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study to assess the perception of health professionals at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, on the NHA, 2014. Participants were selected by a multistage (stratified and then systematic) random sampling technique. Data were collected quantitatively using a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire. The quantitative data were entered and analysed using IBM SPSS version 23. Results: Awareness of the respondents about the Act was good, with up to 75% of respondents being aware of the existence of the NHA Act. However, the knowledge of the content of the Act was poor among all the cadres of health professionals. The differences in awareness among the different cadres of health professionals were statistically significant with the doctors being more aware and the nurses least aware, P = 0.001. The majority of health professionals perceive that the NHA is sufficient to regulate health care and set the appropriate standards in Nigeria. However, the health-care professionals also perceive that Nigerian government is incapable of diligently implementing the provisions of the Act. Conclusion: There is a need for sustained remedial action by health-care professional bodies, organised media, and relevant government ministries and agencies, to ensure that stakeholders, including health professionals, are abreast with the provisions of the NHA, through prioritising health laws as key areas in undergraduate school curricula and continuing medical education on health laws for the practicing health professionals. Good knowledge of the Act will increase the advocacy efforts by the health professionals and other stakeholders towards the implementation of the provisions of the Act by the government and other relevant stakeholders. There is also a need for the government to show more commitment in publicising its effort at the implementation of the Act to improve the poor perception by the health professionals on the government’s ability to implement the provisions of the Act, as seen in this study.

Identity, Care and Rights: the Experience of Talking Circles about the Health of Indigenous People

Abstract: Introduction: There is a historical fragility regarding the training of health care professionals working with the Indigenous Health System in Brazil and the awakening of the growing sensitivity for the promotion of intercultural dialogue is recognized as essential in this context. Thus, the project “Talking Circles about the Indigenous People’s Health” in the university emerged in 2016, developed in a partnership between medical school professors and indigenous students from the Indigenous Tutorial Education Program - PET Indígena - Health Actions, UFSCar. Method: This report is based on the qualitative documental analyses, aiming to present and discuss the experiences, perspectives and dialogues carried out during those meetings, the construction of diversity, the description of the activities performed and the exposure of their potentialities and limits. Results: Based on both Paulo Freire’s Culture Circles and active teaching-learning methodology tools, those meetings dealt with topics related to Indigenous People’s Health, the results of which were here grouped into three categories: Identity; Care; and Indigenous Rights. The Talking Circles format fostered the construction of new knowledge in indigenous health’s field related to different cultures, specific health policies, concepts of health-disease process, providing an initial approach on the indigenous health context in Brazil. Additionally, they provided a space with indigenous leadership that dared to indicate innovative perspectives on identity issues and health understandings, disease and healing processes, as well as raising the epistemology inherent to these populations. Conclusions: Based on the dialogue between different actors, it was possible to arouse interest of the health professionals regarding ethnic and cultural issues and give visibility to the indigenous people at the University. Moreover, it can be a first step towards the construction of optional interdisciplinary disciplines and the insertion of the topic in undergraduate school curricula in the health area.

Identity, Care and Rights: the Experience of Talking Circles about the Health of Indigenous People

Abstract: Introduction: There is a historical fragility regarding the training of health care professionals working with the Indigenous Health System in Brazil and the awakening of the growing sensitivity for the promotion of intercultural dialogue is recognized as essential in this context. Thus, the project “Talking Circles about the Indigenous People’s Health” in the university emerged in 2016, developed in a partnership between medical school professors and indigenous students from the Indigenous Tutorial Education Program - PET Indígena - Health Actions, UFSCar. Method: This report is based on the qualitative documental analyses, aiming to present and discuss the experiences, perspectives and dialogues carried out during those meetings, the construction of diversity, the description of the activities performed and the exposure of their potentialities and limits. Results: Based on both Paulo Freire’s Culture Circles and active teaching-learning methodology tools, those meetings dealt with topics related to Indigenous People’s Health, the results of which were here grouped into three categories: Identity; Care; and Indigenous Rights. The Talking Circles format fostered the construction of new knowledge in indigenous health’s field related to different cultures, specific health policies, concepts of health-disease process, providing an initial approach on the indigenous health context in Brazil. Additionally, they provided a space with indigenous leadership that dared to indicate innovative perspectives on identity issues and health understandings, disease and healing processes, as well as raising the epistemology inherent to these populations. Conclusions: Based on the dialogue between different actors, it was possible to arouse interest of the health professionals regarding ethnic and cultural issues and give visibility to the indigenous people at the University. Moreover, it can be a first step towards the construction of optional interdisciplinary disciplines and the insertion of the topic in undergraduate school curricula in the health area.