The Nazareth Healing Complex: A Study in Integrated Approach to Health Care

Abstract

The main thrust of this study is to investigate a novel phenomenon in health care delivery at Vane, in the Volta Region of Ghana called the Nazareth Healing Complex (NHC). Designed to provide comprehensive health care at one location, the NHC combines faith, herbal and modern medical systems. The central aim of the NHC multispeciality group practice is to allow an interchange of ideas and consultation among all the health practitioners within the same facility. The assumed advantage is the greater continuity of care where referrals between different specialists are effected within the same facility, for the total health care of patients. This study seeks to discover the role of the NHC in meeting the psychological, social and physical health needs of the people. It attempts to explain the nature of the interrelationship between the constituent parts and to show the role-relationship between the NHC and the larger community of Vane. The Theoretical framework for the analysis was the Social Systems perspective which includes features of both rational and a fundamentalist model in the study of social change. The study adopted three methods for collecting data: participant observation, in-depth interviews and questionnaires. Analyses of the records show that the utilization of the NHC facilities is rather low. Findings suggest that the people largely by-pass the NHC facilities for other health care systems in the locality. Thus it was concluded that the NHC facilities are relatively unacceptable to the people. The people hardly see it as an added value. An attempt was made to offer some sociological explanations for this situation. Factors responsible for this situation include external and internal problems facing the NHC. With reference to the external factors, available evidence suggests that the NHC was unable to compete with the already established health institutions at Vane. These health institutions include self-care resources, modern medical systems, and traditional health care resources (including faith healing, general herbalists and diviner healers) in the locality. The internal factors include; administrative problems and poor co-ordination of constituent parts. This situation led to the eventual collapse of the intersectoral referral system which was the main premise on which the NHC was built. It has therefore been established that the low acceptability of the NHC facilities on the one hand is a function of poor integration into the socio-cultural milieu of Vane. On the other hand, the failure is a function of poor interplay between the constituents of the organization. Finally, the results of this study indicated that the diffusion of any innovation in any given community is a function of its relevance to the values, beliefs and expectations of the people. Coupled with this, the internal equilibrium of the innovating organization is also an essential determining factor in the realization of the goals and objectives of the organization. The success of the programme - among others - is positively related to these factors. The study suggests however, that there is need for further empirical research into sources of self-care services and factors which seem to make this a more convenient source of health care for the rural societies.