INFLUENCE OF FAITH-BASED ORGANISATIONS IN COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE IN IGBO LAND

Abstract

The health sector in Igbo land has grown rapidly and the corner stone of this growth was laid by the early Christian Missionaries who combined Evangelization with education and health. This historical development led to the advancement and expansion of the healthcare system in Igbo land by contributing to the building of a firm foundation upon which Igbo land’s healthcare stands today. The Church’s health functional strategy cemented this milestone leading to the growth of a vibrant healthcare sector in Igbo land. This has culminated in a well-coordinated Church-Government partnership in the implementation of health programs. Today Igbo land is one of the leading regions in Nigeria in the delivery of well-established and functional healthcare system. The Church’s pioneer efforts saw the healthcare in Igbo land expand rapidly to all parts of the region thus playing a significant role in the healthcare market. This study assessed the influence of faith-based organisations in community healthcare in Igbo land. The objective of this study was therefore to explore the Church’s contribution to the development of healthcare sector in Igbo land, to examine the functional role of an integrated and holistic approach to healthcare as a tool for the nurturing of Christian values and faith that support spiritual growth among people, to assess the sociological implications underpinning the entire process of growth of healthcare through a Church-Government participatory partnership approach and how this approach has created a better society. This is a qualitative study and made use of case study approach to collect data from purposively selected mainstream Churches in Igbo land. Focus group discussions were also carried out in the selected churches. Use of secondary data from books, documents and Church journals provided valuable information. The findings show that the Church played a significant role in the development of healthcare in Igbo land, they also show that the use of an integrated and holistic approach to healthcare was responsible for the evangelization and medical treatment of many Christians in Igbo land. From a sociological perspective, the findings show that the Church plays a significant role in unifying society. The study recommends the development of an effective collaboration between social workers and the church leadership which may require some additional enhancement of professional competencies and including social development as part of the curriculum of the on-going theological training of ministers at seminaries or religious graduate schools, or internships via training centres. The study also recommends that the Church should be supported through government policies to continue investing in the healthcare sector, other Churches in Nigeria should adopt an integrated holistic approach to healthcare and the Church should strengthen its unifying role for the sake of a stable nation. The study will benefit the Church, policy makers and other stakeholders.