Project Materials

INFLUENCE OF NIGERIAN TELEVISION AUTHORITY (N.T.A.) ENUGU IN IMPROVING RURAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES.

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the influence of N.T.A Enugu on enhancing rural health care services in the Ugwuaji community. To conduct this research, both primary and secondary data were employed, and the researcher used a sample size of 360 respondents from the local government area. Descriptive statistics were used, and the findings showed that N.T.A play notable roles in improving rural health care services by informing the government on the poor state of health services on the Ugwuaji community, as noted by 27.8% of respondents sensitising, the rural populace (Ugwuaji community to appreciate and participate on government health programs, as noted by 47.22% of respondents mobilising the masses for positive actions towards health improvement, e.g. environment This study thus rests on the affirmation of the diffusion of innovation theory, which demonstrates the media’s ability to sensitise the audience to the existence of certain diseases and mobilise them to accept decisions or strategies that will help to improve the overall health of rural dwellers. This report suggests that the government should periodically finance health programs in N.T.A. The government should provide infrastructure such as decent roads, electricity, and telecommunications, as well as enhance rural inhabitants’ literacy levels so that they can engage in health projects.

Chapter One

Introduction

1.1 Background of the Study

Health is the most important component of existence; without it, man remains helpless. People do not appreciate their good health until they have been unwell. However, as the saying goes, health is wealth, and health-related topics have dominated our everyday discussions since the scientific revolution.

According to records, disease of many kinds threatened the lives of various Nigerian citizens during, during, and after colonial rule. Even today, people in Nigeria and other impoverished nations suffer from illnesses, particularly communicable diseases such as syphilis and AIDS.

On the other hand, the communication system of the time was in its functional stage. People in third-world countries rely on local communication to exchange ideas.

The use of metal and wooden gong cannon shoots and smokes has little impact on people’s information, and some are aware that they are selective in nature, and health messages are delayed.

Communication arrived and persevered in its function of enthroning philosophers and scientists in their drive to standardise people’s health welfare. Communication has modernised people in the Third World and encouraged them to embrace improvements in their health environments.

One may argue that since the introduction of contemporary communication systems, health issues have entered a new and flourishing period in society. Communication serves to educate, inform, and enculturate people about the unfamiliar Medicare.

Since then, health policy has been a dynamic ongoing process, with fewer academics asking a plethora of questions about immunisation programs. Because sickness has become so widespread, the government, non-governmental organisations, and individuals must battle it to the end through the media.

Just as communication is essential in all human activities, the Nigerian Television Authority, as the nearest broadcasting medium to the Ugwuoji community, is critical to sensitising rural areas or a large, diverse population to any activity that interests them.

The importance of communication in our daily lives cannot be overstated. Communication is so fundamental to human existence and all human activities that it would be difficult for any individual, organisation, institution, or nation to ignore it in their economic, political, health, and social lives.

It is the most important factor in establishing or growing an organised, unified, healthy, or advanced nation or society. If N.T.A. Enugu does not contribute to the improvement of rural health care services, there would be no effective solution to rural health concerns, particularly the prevention of malaria, the most prevalent disease in rural areas.

Based on the data presented above, it is reasonable to conclude that any communication via television should play an important role in the scope of this study.

Since Nigeria’s independence, one of the government’s primary goals has been to improve rural health care services. When developing a plan or design for a rural health care system in Nigeria, government planners are constantly aware that they are operating “in vacuo”.

This is due to a lack of comprehensive and precise factual information about the current state of health care services, which is also relevant to community needs. They are intended to serve, but they should also be funded by the respective states of the nation.

As a result, it is necessary to assume the availability of enough financial support, various types of people, and physical facilities, such as equipment and suppliers.

Furthermore, it would be nonsensical to disregard the existence of administrative and operational institutions designed to provide necessary and timely logistical support. Given the disparities in socioeconomic conditions, it is very hard to develop a health-care system that is appropriate to all rural areas of Nigeria.

As a result, each state or local government must evaluate the various options, analyse its particular issues, and then make decisions on priorities and organisation. This assessment may lead to the change or modification of an existing system, as well as the introduction of new concepts.

It is vital to note, however, that Nigeria is fast expanding and modernising at the same time, and it must be properly understood that health care can aid or hinder this progress. Nigeria’s health-care services are woefully inadequate, and disease is treated at the population’s expense.

This hazard is most visible in rural regions, where little has been done to assess people’s rural needs and plan how to address them using existing resources.

Expenditure on health in Nigeria has thus far failed to cover the core measures required to meet the basic health needs of the majority of the population.

The goal of any system is to deliver basic health care to Nigeria’s rural areas, where more than 70% of the population lives, so that care is available to everyone at all times and as close to their homes as feasible.

This is done within the resources available to Nigeria’s state and local governments, as well as within their socioeconomic setting, with the goal of promoting the values upon which the World Health Organisation (WHO) is founded. Nzewi (2001) identifies the following principles:

Health is defined as a condition of complete physical, mental, and social well-being, rather than simply the absence of disease or infirmity.

The enjoyment of the highest possible standard of health is one of every human being’s fundamental rights, regardless of ethnicity, religion, political beliefs, economic or social status. The health of all people is critical to achieving peace and security, and it requires the complete cooperation of individuals and states.

The achievement of any state in the promotion and protection of health is valuable to all countries’ unequal development in the promotion of health and illness control, particularly communicable diseases. The absence of this is a prevalent threat.