Ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under-five child healthcare services

Background: Inaccessibility of healthcare services for children under five contributes to child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Children are reportedly dying at home from treatable conditions, hence the need for this study. Objectives: The study aimed to exploring and synthesising th...

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Main Authors: Livhuwani Tshivhase, Idah Moyo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2025-06-01
Series:Curationis
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Online Access:https://curationis.org.za/index.php/curationis/article/view/2667
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author Livhuwani Tshivhase
Idah Moyo
author_facet Livhuwani Tshivhase
Idah Moyo
author_sort Livhuwani Tshivhase
collection DOAJ
description Background: Inaccessibility of healthcare services for children under five contributes to child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Children are reportedly dying at home from treatable conditions, hence the need for this study. Objectives: The study aimed to exploring and synthesising the barriers in accessing under-five child healthcare services through the lens of ubuntu philosophy in sub-Saharan Africa. Method: An integrative literature review was conducted. Several databases were searched utilising a combination of phrases such as: ‘access’, ‘barriers’, ‘child healthcare services’ and ‘sub-Saharan Africa’. Qualitative and quantitative studies, published between 2014 and 2024 in sub-Saharan Africa, were used. Results: Study findings revealed that there were parental- or guardian-related factors, healthcare provider factors and healthcare environment factors that can hinder access to healthcare services for children under the age of five. Conclusion: Intervention measures to address the barriers to access of healthcare services by children under five should embed ubuntu values by all healthcare providers and policymakers. Continuous health education to empower parents and guardians on childcare practices is recommended. Contribution: The study provides insights into challenges of accessing child healthcare services. These findings are key for nurse managers, nurse educators and policymakers to better plan for comprehensive quality service provision. Leveraging on Ubuntu philosophy would be pivotal to making a critical analysis of these challenges and how to address them.
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spelling doaj-art-9429b7a8f8764a37a704c618486fcfcd2025-08-20T03:29:27ZengAOSISCurationis0379-85772223-62792025-06-01481e1e1010.4102/curationis.v48i1.26671609Ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under-five child healthcare servicesLivhuwani Tshivhase0Idah Moyo1Department of Health Studies, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, PretoriaDepartment of Health Studies, College of Human Sciences, University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa; and, Population Solutions for Health, HarareBackground: Inaccessibility of healthcare services for children under five contributes to child morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Children are reportedly dying at home from treatable conditions, hence the need for this study. Objectives: The study aimed to exploring and synthesising the barriers in accessing under-five child healthcare services through the lens of ubuntu philosophy in sub-Saharan Africa. Method: An integrative literature review was conducted. Several databases were searched utilising a combination of phrases such as: ‘access’, ‘barriers’, ‘child healthcare services’ and ‘sub-Saharan Africa’. Qualitative and quantitative studies, published between 2014 and 2024 in sub-Saharan Africa, were used. Results: Study findings revealed that there were parental- or guardian-related factors, healthcare provider factors and healthcare environment factors that can hinder access to healthcare services for children under the age of five. Conclusion: Intervention measures to address the barriers to access of healthcare services by children under five should embed ubuntu values by all healthcare providers and policymakers. Continuous health education to empower parents and guardians on childcare practices is recommended. Contribution: The study provides insights into challenges of accessing child healthcare services. These findings are key for nurse managers, nurse educators and policymakers to better plan for comprehensive quality service provision. Leveraging on Ubuntu philosophy would be pivotal to making a critical analysis of these challenges and how to address them.https://curationis.org.za/index.php/curationis/article/view/2667accessbarrierschildren under fivestrategyubuntu.
spellingShingle Livhuwani Tshivhase
Idah Moyo
Ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under-five child healthcare services
Curationis
access
barriers
children under five
strategy
ubuntu.
title Ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under-five child healthcare services
title_full Ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under-five child healthcare services
title_fullStr Ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under-five child healthcare services
title_full_unstemmed Ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under-five child healthcare services
title_short Ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under-five child healthcare services
title_sort ubuntu philosophy as a strategy to promote access to under five child healthcare services
topic access
barriers
children under five
strategy
ubuntu.
url https://curationis.org.za/index.php/curationis/article/view/2667
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