OPPORTUNITIES & GAINS in Community Partnership

* Since the Alma Ata Conference of 1978, a primary health system with full involvement of the people has been seen as the key to bringing about health for all.

* Current and realized transformation are that partnership is increasingly mandated and employed as a vehicle for health education , promotion of health and prevention of diseases, this was shown in programmes such as that for safe motherhood, Integrated management of early childhood illnesses, and Roll back malaria

* The Millennium development goals (MDG) agreed at the United Nations Millenium Summit in September 2000 where nearly 190 countries have subsequently signed upon them.The MDGs are the wold’s time bound
and quantified targets for addressing extreme poverty(the number one cause of poor health) in its many dimensions. They are to address human rights – the rights of each person on the planet to health,education,shelter, and security. The road map towards the implementation of the MDGs realized the progress made in the prevention and treatment of diseases ( UN Secretary General report,2002).

* The roles demonstrated by the health sector as Leaders, Influencers, communicators and knowledge brokers.

* Collaboration towards multisectoral approaches of addressing issues, that is ,putting in place desks to address health related concerns and the decentralization process.

* Some communities have experienced a fast growing and sustainable partnership because of collaboration and flexibility in governance and leadership as the most recognized strength in community partnership.

* Practice – based teaching and problem – based learning : Institutions benefit from collaboration with community partners by developing research initiatives in the area of Public health practice and enhancing their practice based curriculum with practice to prepare students and Communities and agencies benefit from specific projects and research initiatives that promote public health.

* Patient focused interventions which recognizes the role of patients as active participants in the process of effective, safe and responsive health care. As individuals or family members patients can play a distinct role in their own care by diagnosing and treating conditions, by preventing occurrence or reoccurrence of diseases or harm , by selecting the most appropriate follow ups with the health professionals for more serious illness, and by actively managing long term conditions. Recognizing such interventions that strengthen them is seen as fundamental to securing a more patient – centered approach to health care delivery.

* Community partnership has actively managed the HIV/AIDS Care and Anti retro viral therapy in treatment support, keeping the drug regimen (adherence) through simple monitoring.

* Volunteers at village levels have proved to be an untrapped and yet potentially valuable resource. When identified and trained, volunteers have succeeded in certain communities to identify, refer and follow up people in their villages.

* An approach to community Based Participatory Research actively involves the community studied in the research through partnership.

* The presence of community Based Organisations such as churches and church members, community residents and other social organizations.

* Concepts, theories and models have shown evidence that partnership is still the only possible way to promote health with best practice, eg the Interactive domain model by Kahan & Goodstadt , April, 2002.