Promoting Healthy Living as a Nation; the Role of Stakeholders

Theme for the 10th Anniversary Celebration of NAHSAG is Promoting Healthy Living as a Nation; the Role of Stakeholders. In an exposition of the subject, Wisdom K. Axame writes:

Our health is by far the most important thing to us. It does not matter whether we are rich or poor, good health is vital to make every individual’s life happy. Health cuts across many facets of life and is even evident in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition of it as “a state of complete physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”.  Per the WHO definition, health is an ideal state as we all ought to be healthy physically, mentally and socially which seems very difficult to attain. That notwithstanding, as human as we are, we all strive to get to this ideal state in order to be healthy.

Getting to this ideal state of health can only be achieved through healthy living and healthy lifestyles. One may ask what healthy living is; simply put, healthy living means the steps, actions and strategies an individual puts in place in order to achieve optimum health. In a broader sense, it is about taking responsibility and making smart health choices for today and for the future. Getting physically fit, eating right, emotional wellness, spiritual wellness and prevention are all a part of creating a healthy lifestyle.

Promoting a healthier living is not one man’s business. It calls for collaboration and coordination between relevant stakeholders. Stakeholders in health are persons or institutions that directly or indirectly affect the operation of the healthcare industry. They include clients, healthcare providers, the government and the student. These various stakeholders contribute in their respective jurisdictions to the promotion of healthy living.

Clients:

Clients are by far the largest group among the stakeholders in the promotion of a healthier life. This is because in one way or the other, other stakeholders may become clients when there is the need to access health services. Clients are usually affected either positively or negatively by the actions of other stakeholders. With respect to the promotion of a healthier living, it is the role of the client to patronise and adhere to the services of the other stakeholders. Aside this, clients need to take their health into their own hands by adopting health promotion lifestyles. Promotion of one’s health is an effective way of healthy living as each individual’s actions towards their health will affect them positively or negatively.

Healthcare Providers:

Healthcare providers are public entities or private organizations that render health services to the general population. Their services are either curative or preventive. The curative services of healthcare providers are aimed at treatment and rehabilitation of sick individuals while the preventive services mainly come in the form of health education. Healthcare providers play a vital role in the promotion of healthy lifestyles as they provide opportunities for people to be healthy aside what individuals do themselves to remain healthy.

Government:

Government is considered a key shareholder in the healthcare industry. Governmental departments such as the ministries of health, food and agriculture, education and finance are some facets of government that have a role to play in promoting a healthier living. Government influences the health of its people by formulating and implementing health policies aimed at improving the health of individuals. In addition, government controls health cost in order for health services to be affordable to the average individual. Furthermore, in promoting a healthier living, government also trains and motivates health professionals who are the preachers of healthy living. These are just a few of government’s role in promoting healthy living.

Student:

Yes, the student is also a stakeholder in promoting healthy living. Just as all other all stakeholders can be clients, so the student can also fall under any of the stakeholders. Students, in this case health students, are agents of change undergoing grooming from various institutions. The formation of student associations such as the National Health Students’ Association of Ghana (NAHSAG) is living proof of how students can contribute in promoting healthy living. Students groups like NAHSAG provide platforms for students to give advocacy on health issues which goes a long way to educate the general public on pertinent health issues.

It is thus prudent to involve all relevant stakeholders in the protection, promotion and the maintenance of the health of the population.

Credit: Wisdom K. Axame

1st Vice President, NAHSAG

axman34@outlook.com