The Ethiopian government has placed significant emphasis on the health sector as a cornerstone for ensuring prosperity and driving economic change within the country. This prioritization underscores the recognition of the pivotal role that a healthy population plays in achieving sustainable development and economic growth.
The role of social and behavioral change for sustainable development is to promote awareness, encourage the adoption of sustainable practices, empower communities, and shape social norms, and influence policies and systems. By facilitating positive behavior change, these initiatives help to create a more sustainable and equitable future for all. Social and behavioral change plays a crucial role in achieving sustainable development. It involves promoting and adopting new attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors that contribute to positive societal and environmental outcomes.
What is more, the role of health institutions and psychologists is pivotal in fostering social and behavioral change within society. Through their expertise, these entities contribute to shaping attitudes, promoting mental well-being, and encouraging positive behavioral transformations, thereby enhancing the overall fabric of society.
By taking this into consideration, the Ministry of Health is making promising progress towards ascending to the ranks of middle-income countries within a decade. To achieve this objective, the ministry has set plans and goals that the health sector should play and contribute its share to economic growth by translating the vision of a healthy and prosperous citizenry into reality.
Looking ahead to the future of Ethiopia’s health sector, careful consideration has been given to the prospect of Ethiopia transitioning to a lower-middle income country by 2025 and a middle-middle income country by 2035. This forward-looking approach has led to the establishment of indicative targets, benchmarked against other countries, and the formulation of strategic recommendations to meet these targets.
It is evident that effective social behavior change communication approaches within the health system are fundamental in shaping the trajectory of health development. Notably, social behavior change communication interventions have played a significant role in enhancing immunization demand.
Many countries are actively implementing social and behavior change interventions within their health systems to cultivate well-informed communities regarding service provisions. SBC holds the capacity to influence the attitudes of health providers and clients, enhance family and couples’ communication, and empower community leaders and influencers to advocate for the adoption of healthy behaviors and practices.
Research findings have underscored that SBC approaches are among the most cost-effective methods for addressing and promoting equitable norms, including gender norms, and empowering individuals to enhance their health and access to care.
Social and behavioral change aims to empower communities to actively participate in sustainable development processes. By promoting inclusive decision-making, facilitating dialogue, and fostering collaboration, these initiatives ensure that diverse voices and perspectives are heard, leading to more effective and sustainable outcomes.
Undoubtedly, habits have a profound impact on an individual’s health, well-being, and overall quality of life, with the potential to extend their influence to society at large. A nation committed to implementing social behavior change communication (SBC) guidelines stands to improve health service outcomes and foster a healthier community at a reduced cost. In this respect, the Ministry of Health has been actively collaborating with stakeholders to apply SBC approaches in mobilizing communities towards achieving set goals, with a view to creating well-informed communities.
In the upcoming February, the Ministry, in partnership with the Health Education and Promotion Professional Association, is slated to host the third national Social Behavior Change Communication Summit under the theme ‘Social and Behavioral Change for Sustainable Health Development’ in the capital.
The summit will bring together public institutions, social and behavioral change professionals, professional associations, partner organizations, research institutions, private health sector actors, and other stakeholders. Furthermore, the summit will be attended by local and international experts and stakeholders from numerous countries. The summit is scheduled to take place from February 27th to 29th, providing a platform for robust discussions and knowledge exchange on advancing social and behavioral change for sustainable health development.
During the consultative meeting which was held recently, Dr. Tegene Regassa, CEO of Public Relations and Communication at the Ministry of Health, emphasized the pivotal role of the health sector in establishing enabling platforms that empower communities to take charge of their own health.
Dr. Tegene highlighted the collaborative efforts of the Ministry of Health and stakeholders in implementing Social and Behavior Change (SBC) approaches across various activities, yielding a number of positive outcomes. He stressed that the government’s significant investment in the health sector underscores its status as a priority area, aiming to safeguard the well-being of citizens and ensure national prosperity. Recognizing the complexity of health service delivery, Dr. Tegene emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts among stakeholders.
Moreover, he underscored the significance of achieving sustainable community health through individual and stakeholder behavioral change. The upcoming summit, which will convene relevant stakeholders, will delve into SBC practices that impact community health development. Dr. Tegene extended a call to higher learning institutions, researchers, students, partners, and non-governmental organizations to actively contribute to the productivity of the summit.
President of the Ethiopian Health Education and Promotion Professionals Association (EHEPA), Dr. Eshetu Girma, emphasized the pivotal role of community behavioral change in ensuring sustainable health development. The association’s collaboration with Addis Ababa University and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) focuses on capacity building to realize community behavioral change. Additionally, the association facilitates knowledge sharing among its members and provides practical training on new laboratory findings and research practices.
The consultative meeting, attended by representatives from the Ministry of Health, relevant stakeholders, state-level SBC entities, universities, researchers, private sector representatives, and non-governmental organizations, served as a platform for robust discussions on SBC practices and their impact on community health development.
BY MENGISTEAB TESHOME
THE ETHIOPIAN HERALD 19 DECEMBER 2023
