Mapule E Maelane
(First paragraph missing - could not read hardcopy fax.)
What does the above statement convey to the nurse practitioners as providers and facilitators of nursing care? Are clients satisfied with the services they receive? Does it mean there is lack in respect of the acknowledging the indigenous and cultural health values of our clients? Are nurses committed to accept the cultural diversities of their clients in planning and implementing nursing care? Or are they determined to impose their professional values and norms in respect of health, illness, and wellbeing on their culturally diverse clients? Why such an exclamation?
The Government of today has initiated an approach to transform and improve public health service delivery for its citizens in South Africa. The initiated approach focused on our clients as total and cultural beings, strongly believing in the respect and acknowledgement for the indigenous health care practices.
Studies have revealed that perceptions of illness and health issues of the African clients, especially those from the rural, are culturally defined. Without a profound understanding of our community's culture in nursing regiments will be like imposing a particular health culture to a group and hope for it to work perfectly, in addressing the culturally bound illnesses.
The paper aims to discuss culture congruent care as understood and proposed to be rendered in the African perspective, in addressing the health needs of the indigenous African majority. The discussion will focus on the approaches recommended for use within the nursing practice. Sharing these approaches with other nurses globally will facilitate a better insight into the challenges facing the nurse practitioners in this century, on rendering a culture congruently care deemed necessary to respond to the needs of the indigenous people of Africa, our customers. The specific approaches of focus for the discussion include: