Health care needs assessment among juveniles at Nakambala correctional institution

Abstract

Health care needs assessments are vital to a person’s well-being, and include physical, emotional and mental health but seem to be lacking in juveniles in confinement. This study documented the health care needs among juveniles at Nakambala Approved School in Mazabuka and explored ways of addressing them. The Approved School is one of the three, others being Insakwe Approved School in Ndola and Katombora Reformatory School in Kazungula.The study employed a case study so as to have a detailed examination of the phenomena under investigations (Kombo and Tromp, 2006). The sample was selected using purposive sampling. The study was centred on interviewing thirty-five juveniles and six key informants and conducting two focus group discussions comprising six juveniles and one key informant in each group. The data collected was qualitative and was analysed using thematic analysis. The study showed that no comprehensive health care needs assessment had been conducted at the institution and that there were some health care problems among the juveniles. These problems included STIs (HIV and AIDS and Syphilis), abdominal and diarrhoea diseases, malaria and tuberculosis (T.B.). In addition, the study showed that there were prevention and health promotion activities in place such as sleeping under mosquito nets, cleaning the surrounding areas and inside the hostels. However, the institution lacked health professional to coordinate the preventive and health promotion activities. This resulted in juveniles being referred to the nearest health centre. In the past, there used to be some liaison between the nearest clinic and the institution to check on the health problems among the juveniles, but this liaison was no longer in place. Furthermore, there was no comprehensive information management health system at the institution to guide planning and monitoring of strategies for meeting the health care needs of juveniles effectively.The adequately meeting of the health care needs of the juveniles required putting in place systems to regularly conduct health care needs assessments, place health workers at the institutions and strengthen referral systems as well as health information management systems.