A review of studies on home-based care to determine implications for social innovation in Namibia.
Kavela, Leena Joolokeni
Kavela, Leena Joolokeni
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Abstract
The social and economic consequences of the HIV/AIDS epidemic has shown that the disease has placed a large burden on public health care facilities especially in most southern African countries where the effect of the pandemic has been observed through the diminished capacity of health sectors. This observation has brought into focus the need for an alternative form of health care, viz, home-based care (HBC) as a critical element of the national health care system. HBC provides a continuum of care for persons with chronic illness from a health care facility to the home care environment where the care focuses on the overall well-being of the patient (Compbell, et al., 2005; Mwinituo, 2006). It is for this reason that explored the evolution of the HBC system within the context of innovation system and as part of the health care system in Namibia. The study was guided by the Local Innovation and Productive Systems (LIPS) methodology which provides an analytical framework for understanding the systemic and interactive processes that lead to social innovation (Lastres & Cassiolato, 2005). The available secondary literature was used in the analysis of the findings including the content of the study where a
detailed and systematic examination of contents of a particular body of material for the purpose of identifying patterns, themes or biases (Leedy and Ormrod, 2005). Findings showed that HBC emerged as a social response to challenges that were facing society with different actors such as family, volunteers, NGOs, clinics, and hospitals playing different roles in the delivery of HBC. Furthermore, findings indicate that as much as there are benefits derived from HBC, there are also challenges facing the HBC system of which some include the costs associated with the provision of HBC at the home level, inadequate medical facilities to complement the efforts of HBC, poor infrastructure and socio-cultural issues that have threatened the sustainability of HBC programmes particularly in Namibia and Sub-Saharan
Africa in general. From the findings, it was concluded that formal HBC programmes started earlier in the 1980s with the main the main actors consisting of families, community volunteers, NGOs and government health institutions fulfilling the psychological, emotional, religious and spiritual needs of a patient by the family and the health team. Finally, it was also concluded that the HBC system is readily available (family members and community volunteers are available) and is affordable for the family members and the government. Despite some benefits, it can be concluded that the HBC system has some challenges that include HIV-positive persons straining family’s resources, exposure to risks of contracting HIV by caregivers, shortage of trained personnel to administer drugs, and poor coordination and collaboration between key stakeholders and other sectors working at community. Considering findings and conclusions from the study, it was recommended that HBC should be incorporated and Institutionalized into both formal and informal institutions that can play a critical role in the development of HBC.
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Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree, Magister Technologiae: Comparative Local Development, Faculty of Economics and Finance, Tshwane University of Technology
Date
2016-10-31
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Tshwane University of Technology
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Keywords
Home-based care, Social innovation, Namibia, Health care system