Community and patient involvement in TB care and prevention
Why involve communities and patients in TB care and prevention?
- In order to facilitate access to health services and bring services to where people live
- In order to promote a partnership between health services and communities aimed at community and patient empowerment 1
through:
- Sensitization of affected communities on relevant health issues
- Identifying problems and solutions together with affected communities and therefore fostering community ownership of the programme
- Sharing responsibility for health
- In order to bring about behavioural change, avoid health risks in the future, and become more self-reliant
- In order to promote institution support, based on principles of equity2 and social justice3 , to initiatives in which community members express their responsibility and solidarity4 towards those who are suffering
Definitions
1 Empowerment is a condition referring to people having the opportunity to exercise their social, political and/or economic rights and responsibilities.
2 Equity implies that everyone should have an opportunity to attain their full potential for health.
3 Social justice refers to the organization of society in which a common good, to which all are expected to contribute in different ways, is available to all its members. To promote and respect social justice means to be part of a society where all members, regardless of their background, have basic human rights and equal access to their community's wealth and resources.
4 Solidarity refers to the ties in a society that bind people to one another. It is a firm determination to commit oneself to the good of each and every individual.
