DR NELLY KALU
Now that it is clear that Social Justice means fairness in the way country’s resources are distributed. Let’s take a look at what we need to know it about our health.
If you reside in Sub-Saharan Africa like Nigeria, you should know that Malaria is endemic in these areas among other communicable diseases like HIV and Tuberculosis.
Maternal and child [under 5] deaths are also high therefore priorities should be given to combating these diseases when it comes to health care.
So, depending on which area you reside, healthcare should be prioritized accordingly to fit local needs.
Using Nigeria as a case study to juxtapose social justice and healthcare; a typical standard healthcare system will prioritize malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, maternal and child health. That means every action should be geared towards eradicating these diseases and factors
[social determinats]
that encourage deaths of mothers and children under 5.
The first step in doing these will be to develop a primary healthcare systems. According to the World Health Organization [https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/primary-health-care] the definition of primary health has changed and comprehensively it includes health promotion, prevention and rehabilitation.
That means when an individual is visiting a health care centre for the treatment of malaria for example, you should leave after you have fully understood what causes malaria, how to avoid it, treatment for the illness and possible rehabilitation for any damage malaria may have caused.
Not knowing enough about an ailment you have, shows an ill-equipped primary health care system.
Primary Health care should also be responsible for the health literacy of the community it caters to.
To show justice and fairness, it is the responsibility of the Nigerian government to ensure that the diseases peculiar to its region are well budgeted for in the yearly appropriation bills and these budgets monitored to ensure that the financial resources are used judiciously.
That said, every citizen in a country or region is entitled to standard primary health care in all fairness.
Dr Kalu Nelly [OD] is an optometrist with over 10 years’ experience in the field of eye health. A social commentator and a health blogger. She writes from Abuja.
