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Ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under-five child healthcare services
Livhuwani Tshivhase1, Idah Moyo
1Department of Health Studies, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria. tshival@unisa.ac.za.
Insights
Barriers in accessing healthcare for children under five in sub-Saharan Africa include parental, provider, and environmental factors. Addressing these requires integrating Ubuntu philosophy and continuous health education for improved child survival rates.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Healthcare Access
- Sub-Saharan Africa
Background:
- In sub-Saharan Africa, inaccessible healthcare services for children under five contribute significantly to child morbidity and mortality.
- Many children die at home from treatable conditions, highlighting critical gaps in healthcare access.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore and synthesize barriers to under-five child healthcare services access in sub-Saharan Africa.
- To analyze these barriers through the lens of Ubuntu philosophy.
Main Methods:
- An integrative literature review was conducted.
- Searched multiple databases for qualitative and quantitative studies published between 2014 and 2024 in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Utilized search terms including 'access', 'barriers', 'child healthcare services', and 'sub-Saharan Africa'.
Main Results:
- Identified parental or guardian-related factors hindering access to healthcare services for children under five.
- Highlighted healthcare provider-related factors as significant barriers.
- Revealed healthcare environment factors as impediments to accessing essential child healthcare.
Conclusions:
- Interventions must embed Ubuntu values for healthcare providers and policymakers to address access barriers.
- Continuous health education is recommended to empower parents and guardians in childcare practices.
- Findings offer critical insights for nurse managers, educators, and policymakers to enhance quality service provision and address challenges using Ubuntu philosophy.
Background:
Inaccessibility of healthcare services for children under five contributes to child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Children are reportedly dying at home from treatable conditions, hence the need for this study.
Objectives:
The study aimed to exploring and synthesising the barriers in accessing under-five child healthcare services through the lens of ubuntu philosophy in sub-Saharan Africa.
Method:
An integrative literature review was conducted. Several databases were searched utilising a combination of phrases such as: 'access', 'barriers', 'child healthcare services' and 'sub-Saharan Africa'. Qualitative and quantitative studies, published between 2014 and 2024 in sub-Saharan Africa, were used.
Results:
Study findings revealed that there were parental- or guardian-related factors, healthcare provider factors and healthcare environment factors that can hinder access to healthcare services for children under the age of five.
Conclusion:
Intervention measures to address the barriers to access of healthcare services by children under five should embed ubuntu values by all healthcare providers and policymakers. Continuous health education to empower parents and guardians on childcare practices is recommended.Contribution: The study provides insights into challenges of accessing child healthcare services. These findings are key for nurse managers, nurse educators and policymakers to better plan for comprehensive quality service provision. Leveraging on Ubuntu philosophy would be pivotal to making a critical analysis of these challenges and how to address them.
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