COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

HEALTHCARE BY THE PEOPLE FOR THE PEOPLE

A short 6-week online course to introduce youth interested in health development to:

• The concept of Community Health Development (CHD)

• The guiding principles of good CHD practice

• Framework for effective community involvement in health care

• A lasting youth network for the development of CHDs in communities

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

COURSE STRUCTURE

This course will include:

• weekly power-point lesson notes and reading materials

• case studies on the topic

• Participants online discussions, weekly assignments and completion of final assessment

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

COURSE OBJECTIVES

This course seeks to:

• Introduce the concept and benefits of the CHD programme

• Enhance participants’ understanding of some tried and tested principles of effective CHD programme

• Participants’ online discussions, weekly assignments and completion of final assessment

• Stimulate participants ideas towards the development of CHDs in their own communities (or communities of interest)

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

Things to note in this course

• Experts will be monitoring to guide discussions and participants will be encouraged to participate in such interactions.

• The Tearfund project by Action for Securing Health for All (ASHA) is the prime case for the course framework

• Other Case studies will be analysed, and treated as subject for course discussions and presentations

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENTINTRODUCTION

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

Critical thinking.........................

• Looking at the previous slide,…….......... what impressions do you have about the difference between the traditional (old) form of Community Health and the NEW concept of Community Health Development? ……Discuss your ideas on the course wiki page

By Dennis Penu

INTRODUCTION

Community Health Development (CHD) is an approach to working with communities at the grass root level. ....a process by which a community defines its own health needs to bring about change.

CHDs start with a clear vision in mind and it is aimed at bringing lasting changes towards the health of the people, especially the poorest

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

HEALTH vs MEDICINE

•Medicine aims at restoring the human body health

•Health is broader than the absence of disease

•Health recognizes the inter-relation of the physical, economical, mental, spiritual, social and emotional well-being of a person.

•Healthy individuals translate into healthy communities

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

LESSON?

Good sustainable health can be achieved without medicinebut

by ensuring the development of certain communal amenities or culture e.g. clean water, good sanitation and improved nutrition

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

WHERE DOES COMMUNITY HEALTH COME IN?

Community health (CH) programs grew out of recognition that medical infrastructure was not the answer to ill health

CH programs therefore focused on preventive health, health education and monitoring the status of health-related issues in the community.

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

PRIMARY HEALTHCARE ACTIVITIES (WHO)

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

Issue for thought

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

Could you identify the activities in the previous slide that entail active community involvement and those that do not involve active community participation?

CHALLENGES WITH THE TRADITIONAL CH PROG.

It fails to touch the lives of the poorest and those of low status

Participants in the program only receive passive services

Sustaining the health workers involved is difficult

Different health issues are peculiar and warrant varied approach to solving them

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

Issues for thought.

•What challenges have you experienced with the traditional CH approach in your community?

•If you have not been involved in any such project, what challenges do you anticipate in the implementation of such a program?

- share them online on the course Wiki"

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

CHD is born

•A good community health programme makes sustainability sure: “there can be no going back”

•Community health therefore becomes sustainable:

1.Because of what the people can do for themselves2.Project staff are a means to an end

By Dennis Penu

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

LOOKING FOWARD

The next sessions will focus on “Guidelines for Good Practice in Community Health Development”

They will be discussed in context of practical case studies.

Prepared By:Dennis Penu (Course Instructor)

COMMUNITY HEALTH DEVELOPMENT