Primary Health care and community participation

Question 1

6 Pillars of Primary Health Care.

Answer 1

1. Social justice: Equal distribution of the available resources.
2. Preventive Health care: Prevention of diseases in the sense of primary prevention.
3. Participation of the inhabitants: Participation of the intended groups in planning and carrying out issues related to people’s health.
4. Inter-sector cooperation: Health support outside the medical services.
5. Technology that matches with the context: favourable or affordable price and local technology.
6. Sustainability of the measures: Guaranteeing curative services including services of medicines.

Question 2

Definition of a community

Answer 2

“ It is a social entity made of people or families who have the following characteristics:
• Live in the same geographical area
• Share common goals or problems
• Share similar development aspirations
• Have similar interests or social network or relationship at local level
• Have a common leadership and tradition
• Have common system of communication
• Share some resources - water, school, etc
-Are sociologically and psychologically linked”

Question 3

• Definition of community participation (CP)

Answer 3

“A process by which a community mobilizes its resources, initiates and takes responsibility for its own development activities and share in decision making for and implementation of all other development programmes for the overall improvement of its health status.”

Question 4

What are the aims of community participation?

Answer 4

1. The community develops self-reliance
2. The community develops critical awareness
3. The community develops problem solving skills

Question 5

What are the types of participation?

Answer 5

1. Passive – (Manipulation)
2. Active – (consultation)
3. Involvement – (Community control)

Question 6

Passive participation

Answer 6

individuals or families are mere spectators

Question 7

Active participation

Answer 7

community carries out some tasks in a program but is not involved with the final decision of what needs to be done. Decisions are made by people who are not members of the community so the community does not develop a sense of self-reliance.

Question 8

What is community participation and involvement?

Answer 8

COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION AND INVOLVEMENT- the community is involved in all aspect of a program. The community is able to participate willingly to improve its own health status.
‘It is important for a community to participate in every stage of the health programme for it to have long lasting results i.e., thinking, planning, acting and evaluating.
Community participation and involvement empowers or enables the community to make informed decisions in matters affecting their health or development’.

Question 9

What are the factors that influence community participation?

Answer 9

1. Relevance and accountability of communities
2. Education status/ level of the community
3. Community infrastructure (including communication network)
4. Economic, social and cultural factors
5. The extent of inter-sectoral collaboration
6. Suppression of involvement - creates dependency
7. Political stability
8. Good leadership
9. Motivated community
10. A sense of ownership
11. Locally available resources

Question 10

What are the benefits of Community Participation?

Answer 10

1. Drawing on local knowledge
2. Making programmes locally relevant and acceptable
3. Developing self-reliance, self confidence, empowerment and problem – solving skills
4. Better relationship between health workers and community

Question 11

What are the types of Community Groups?

Answer 11

1. ‘SELF-HELP GROUPS
   Run by people for their own benefits e.g. co-operatives, churches etc..
2. ‘PRESSURE GROUPS
   These are self-appointed citizens taking action on what they see to be the interests of the whole community and putting on pressure e.g. to improve a school; improve a dangerous road etc.