Scientific African (Mar 2023)
Covid-19 Recovery and Growth: Promoting Technology Innovation in Healthcare Sector on Hygiene and Safe Medication Practices in Low-Resourced Nigerian Societies
Abstract
Introduction: Globally, the healthcare sector is primarily designated to provide timely, efficient and effective medical services. In African countries like Nigeria, the inequality in the healthcare sector is worsened by the limited coverage of healthcare delivery. This has evolved to an unprecedented effect on the provision of healthcare services in low-resource societies. In the post COVID-19 era, recovery and growth from the pandemic become more demanding with an emphasis on promoting innovative technology in the healthcare sector on hygiene and safe medication practices. Method: Data was sourced from mixed research method. Questionnaires, focus group discussions, and in-depth interviews were used to deduce data from 142 healthcare providers, users, and social workers. Participants were randomly selected from three healthcare institutions in Nsukka, Enugu state. Result: Findings revealed that although greater positive perception (66.7%) holds on promoting innovative technology in the healthcare sector; concerns on negative perceptions (33.3%) were; the choice of medication, cultural health behavior and non-adherence to health guidelines. Major factors militating against innovative technology in healthcare sector were corruption in healthcare system, patients’ economic level and poor healthcare delivery. Findings depict that age (χ²cal= 84.0, p=0.000<0.05) and income (χ²cal= 53.7, p=0.000<0.05) of patients were found to be significant in the utilization of innovative technology in healthcare. Evidence-based interventions on innovative healthcare systems on hygiene and safe medication practices were; intensive community health education at the grass-root, implementation of health policies, and tutors’ improved healthcare knowledge. Participants showed little knowledge of social workers’ engagement in health institutions. Conclusion: Equity in healthcare is a core concern in Sustainable Development Goals. Achieving equal distribution of health services between urban and rural societies in recovery from covid-19 pandemic and growth of the healthcare sector is pegged on promoting innovative technology in hygiene and safe medication practices. The study recommends that social workers’ engagement with health providers and users in low-resourced societies could help propagate awareness and self-care management of health challenges through digital information technology in Nigeria.
