The District Health System in Enugu State, Nigeria: An analysis of policy development and implementation [Policy Brief]
Abstract
The District Health System (DHS) is a form of decentralised provision of health care where health facilities, health care workers, management and administrative structures are organised to serve a specific geographic region or population. The concept of a DHS is closely linked with the primary health care movement and is considered to be a more effective way of providing integrated health services and involving communities than a centralised approach.
In Enugu State, Nigeria, the DHS was introduced following the election of a new democratic government in 1999. The Enugu DHS delivers a range of health care services to population groups ranging from 160,000 and 600,000 people through a structured management system (the district health management team) which integrates primary and secondary health services. Research investigated the development and implementation of the DHS in Enugu State in order to reveal the underlying factors that affected the implementation of the policy. It compared the experiences of two communities from different districts that had varying levels of success in implementing DHS.
Citation
Soludo, E.; Onwujekwe, O.E.; Nkoli, E.; Uguru, N.P.; Uzochukwu, B.S.C. The District Health System in Enugu State, Nigeria: An analysis of policy development and implementation [Policy Brief]. (2010) 2 pp.
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