Title: Choice
Course: Health Management, Ethics and Research - Ethiopia (Full)

Choice

Communities in your locality have a fundamental right to receive certain healthcare services, for instance immunization and family planning services. They also have the right to choose the ways that they work towards the improvement of the health of their own community. As a Health Extension Practitioner you have an obligation to respect both sets of rights. Part of your work will include an obligation to provide health information and support to the individuals and the entire community so they are able to make informed decisions about health issues (Figure 9.5). For instance, if a mother with seven children refuses to use family planning services, you have a moral obligation to inform her about the physical, social and economical consequences of having more children. However, it remains her choice under the principle of autonomy whether or not she uses contraception.

Fig. 9.5 If people are taking medication they may need special consideration of their rights and should give their informed consent. (Photo: I-Tech/Julia Sherburne)

If you are working in a community where there is a lot of malaria, how do you think you will be able to help your community to make choices about ways that this might be tackled?

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Your work should include helping the community decide where they can best use their resources. Perhaps your knowledge will help them look for possible wet areas near the village where the mosquitoes will be breeding. Together they may decide to drain these areas rather than use their energy in ways that are not going to be effective in reducing the amount of malaria.