HEALTH ORIENTATION IN AFRICA: A NEW APPROACH

Africa especially South of the Sahara is a continent where we don't take our health seriously. The viscious circle of ignorance, poverty and disease has impacted so much on our orientation on health. we give little or no attention to our health.

Health has been defined by the World Health Organization as the complete State of physical, mental and social well being of a man and not just the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 2021). The definition implies physical, intellectual, environmental, vocational, social,
emotional, and spiritual health. Your health and wellbeing (1979).

It is therefore clear that to be healthy a person should be healthy in all areas. It takes a lot to attain this level of health. It's not just about having money to buy food, live in a good apartment and able to access medical facilities.

One has to be intellectually, and spiritually sound to appreciate how the environment and lack of vocational skill can hamper the attainment of optimal good health. Certain level of intellectual ability is necessary to be able to understand how changes in computer and information technology can enhance good health.

Again it takes a little bit of knowledge to understand that diseases maybe caused by anatomical malformations, degenerative process, metabolic, infective, hereditary, environmental and social causes.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines orientation as a person's attitude, beliefs, or feelings about a particular subject or issue. Our attitude, beliefs and feeling about diseases differ greatly from that of the Europeans and the Americans. Our bellief, attitude and feeling coupled with poverty, ignorance and disease have impacted negatively on our health.

Africa South of the Sahara have a particular orientation about their health where we pay less attention to our health in pursuit of elusive wealth. No provision is made for health in the budget. No visit to health institution for any check up.

When symptoms occur giving us early warning, we ignore them until they become emergency. when complications take place, no money to handle them. Then we go to prayer/deliverance house. The result is that preventable diseases such as stroke, diabetes, renal failure,heart failure and others remain on the increase.

According to Wahab ((2008) the prevalence of stroke in Nigeria is 1.14 % per 1000 while a 30 day case fatality is 40%. Management of the disease is largely conservative while there is little or no funding for high quality research. Primary Prevention is the key to reducing the burden of the disease in a country with such poor resources. The same goes for other preventable diseases.

In view of this sad and painful experience in sub saharan Africa, something must be done to stem the tide of mortality and fatality resulting from poverty, ignorance and disease. That thing is a new orientation.

What is the new orientation? The new orientation is the acronym EES( Early detection, Early intervention, Saves Life). What does it involve? It involves the three aspects of medicine, namely promotive, preventive and curative health care. It implies early steps to promote good health, prevent disease occurrence, and even when diseases occur, taking early intervention to prevent complications, severe morbidity and mortality.
Promotive health care
Promotive health care involves "the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health.(WHO,1986)
Examples
Promote breast feeding
Promote child and family nutrition
SIDS Prevention and education
Injury prevention
Smoking cassation
Promotion of early literacy
(Australian Government Dept. Of health 2013)

promotive health:Breast feeding. Photo Baby health center

Preventive health care
Preventive health care or prophylaxis consists of measures taken for disease prevention (Hugh, 1979). It is aimed at maintaining well being and to prevent disease, disability and prevent death.(Association of American college)
Examples of preventive medicine include:
_Blood pressure, Diabetes, Cholesterol Test
_Counseling: quite Smoking, loosing weight, eating healthy, treating depression, reducing alcohol use.
_Regular well - baby and we'll - child visit from birth to age 21
_Routine vaccination against diseases such as measles, poliomyelitis etc
_Counseling, screening and vaccines to ensure healthy pregnancies (HHS.gov.2021)

Preventive health: Routine immunizatiin photo-boy-and -vaccine- syringe.jpg

Preventive health: balanced nutrition
Curative health care
Curative health care refers to health care practices that treat patients with the intent of curing them, not just reducing their pain or stress (medicare resource.org)
It involves the use of antibiotics, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy for cancer
Cast for broken limbs
Surgery for appendicitis.

Curative health care: Bone casting Getty images

Curative health: Dialysis 22-8265585.jpg

Subsaharan Africa and other developing countries can achieve sustainable health in this 21st century by adopting the new orientation:
E _Early detection
E _Early intervention
S. _Saves life
Via the three aspects of health
P _Promotive health care
P _Preverive health care.
C _Curative health care

    REFERENCES

Curative Care: medicine resource.org

Definition of Orientation: Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press (2021)

Health promotion: 1986 world Health
Organization (WHO) Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion.

Health promotion: National Framework for Universal Child and Family Health Services. The Department of Health/Australian Department of Health.

Hugh, R. Leavell and E. Garney Clark(1997): The science and art of preventing diseases, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health and efficiency. Preventive medicine for the Doctor in his community (3rd ed). Huntington N.Y Robert E. Kriger publishing company.

Preventive care: Preventive Care/HHS
.Org HHS >health care Home>about

Preventive Medicine/Care Association of American Medical College N.Y Washington DC.

Seven Dimensions of health: Youth and wellbeing ( 2009) winter Park Health foundation

Wahab K. W (2008): The burden of stroke in Nigeria. Int J. Stroke 2008. May 3(4):290-2 doi 10 1111/J.1747-18811746

World Health Organization ( 2006): Constitution of World Health Organization Basic document, forty fifth edition supplant, October,2006