UITH to begin home visitation to boost health care

DR Bola Arinde of the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), said on Wednesday that the hospital would soon begin home visitation to promote health care in Kwara.

Arinde made this disclosure in Ilorin at the presentation of the hospital’s 2017 ‘Grand Round’ organised by the Department of Paediatrics.

In her opening address, Arinde, a paediatrician, explained that the focus of the home visit would be on neo-natal care, immunisation, annual well-child visits, disease-specific preventive health and palliative care.

According to her, the purpose of the home visit is to give care to the sick, have access to living conditions and health practices as well as give health teachings,as regards disease prevention and control.

She also added that it would consist of providing long term follow-up, closing the gap between health agencies and the public as well as making use of inter-referral system.

Arinde said the home visitation would be manned by community health extension workers, nurses, social workers, trained volunteers and doctors among others.

She stated that “the traditional paediatrics care is often based on the assumption that parents have the basic knowledge and resources to provide a nurturing”.

The paediatrician said the evolution of the home visitation in patient care system, was a widespread practice of health care delivery before modern medicine.

However, the expert pointed out that the deterioration in health care indices had brought about its revitalisation.

Earlier in his remark, Prof Abdulwaheed Olatinwo, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UITH, expressed satisfaction with the programme.

Olatinwo urged the hospital staff to think about what could be done to sustain the system on a long-term basis.