Role of Public Relation in Health Care Centres

Triveni Waikhom

Health - generally defined as the state of being free from

illness or injury.

It also indicates a person's mental or physical condition.

World Health Organization (WHO) defined

“Health is a state of complete physical, mental and

social well-being and not merely an absence of diseases

or infirmity.”

 

PAST HISTORY Illness - attributed to evil spirits, witchcraft, demons, adverse

astral influence, or the will of the gods. Appeasing of gods by prayers, rituals and sacrifices were

carried out as curative measures

PAST REPORTS EXAMPLE:

“….. Montreal was afflicted with smallpox this Summer because

the Montreal people had a carnival last winter. It is to punish

our pride, the GOD sent us smallpox.”… The Preacher said.

“…..Superstition that nullified efforts to deal scientifically and

effectively with cholera in the Spanish and Italian

Peninsulas…..”

-The NewYork TimesSeptember 15, 1885.

Medicine is the science and art of healing.

Encompasses a variety of health care practices

- maintain and restore health by prevention & treatment of illness. 

- All human societies have medical beliefs that provide

explanations for birth, death, and disease.

Early records on Medicine

- Ancient Egyptian, Babylonian, Greek, Roman medicine

- Ayurvedic medicine in Indian subcontinent

- classical Chinese medicine

Since health is the concern of everyone for

everyone, health communication becomes

important in people.

Health Communication cater to the following

needs:

• Information

• Education

• Motivation

• Persuasion

• Counselling

• Raising Morale

• Health Development

• Health Organization

Declaration of Alma - Ata (1978)

Health Education

“A process aimed at encouraging people to want to be healthy, to know

how to stay healthy, to do what they can individually and collectively to

maintain health, and to seek help when needed.”

Health Education can bring about changes in lifestyles and risk factors

of diseases. Most of the premature and health problems can be

prevented by early caretaking of human behaviour at low cost. The

target population must have access to proven preventive measures

/and procedures.

Approaches of Health Education

1. Regulatory Approach: The Legislatives for imprisonment or

punishment.

2. Service Approach : Basic Health Services in the 1960s

3. Health Education Approach: Conscious reasoning

4. Primary Health Care Approach: Self-reliable factors

5. Health Education Versus Propaganda

Education-Cause

Propaganda-Passive

Models of Health Education

Medical Model• Doctor• IllnessMotivation Model• Awareness• Motivation• Action  InternalizationA method of communication that allow acquiring or accepting new ideas and perceptions so that they become part of existing values.

Social Intervention Model

• Newly introduced ideas into existing society.

SENDER

MESSAGE

CHANNEL

RECEIVER

AWARENESS

INTEREST

EVALUATION

ADOPTION

FEEDBACK

COMMUNICATION PROCESS

Contents of Health Education

Human Biology: Immunization programmes

Nutrition: AYUSH

Hygiene: Environmental Sanitation programmes

Family Health: Mother and Child Tracking System

Disease Prevention and Control: AYUSH -Long Lasting Insecticide

Treated Bed Nets

Mental Health: Counselling

Prevention of accidents: Engineers

Use of Health Services: Doctors and patients

Transport

Cold Chain 

Cold chain is the process used to

maintain optimum conditions at the time

of transport, storage and handling of

vaccines, which is transferred from the

place of vaccine to the concerned clients.  

CHART OF COLD CHAIN

Manufacturer Distributor Vaccine Depot

Provider Office

Client

Health Care Centres  

• Primary Health Sub-Centres

• Primary Health Centres

• Community Health Centres

• Hospitals

Primary Health Sub-Centres:

• A male health worker and a female health worker

• Provision of medicines

• Consultation at critical stage

Primary Health Centres:

• Medical Care

• Education concerning prevailing health problems and the methods of

preventing and controlling them

• Promotion of food supply and nutrition

• Maternal and Child Health Care including family planning

• Immunization against infectious diseases

• Appropriate treatment of common diseases

• Provision of essential drugs

Community Health Care:

• 7 years of service in Primary Health Care

• Blood Storage facility

• Referral (transport) services

• Care of routine and emergency

• Anaesthetist, Dental Surgeon, Medical Officer of

AYUSH

District and State Hospitals:

• Multi-disciplinary professionals

• Integrated services

• Preventive, promoting and curative

measures

PRACTICE OF HEALTH EDUCATION

• Audio-visual Aids

• Auditory Aids

• Visual Aids

• Combined A-V Aids

METHOD OF HEALTH COMMUNICATION

INDIVIDUAL APPROACH

Personal Contact

Home Visits

Personal Letters

 

National Programmes

National Aids Control Programme

National Vector Born Diseases Control Programme

National Leprosy Eradication Programme

Integrated Disease Surveillance Projects

Conclusion

In Manipur several hospitals are located with multidisciplinary

doctors and some trainees i.e.basic health workers are opening

private health care centres. A multidisciplinary doctor will know

how to cure the disease but not reach out for a healthy life for the

people living in far off places and other considerable matters. A

specialist can only work for the rarest of the rare occasions. Thus it

becomes important for all the people to become aware of the

health concerns and be more self-reliant of their own behaviour

for a healthy state.

Thank You