Strengthening social work services in the health sectors of Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Taking lessons from social work actions/inactions in Covid-19 response in Nigeria

Prince Agwu

doi:10.1921/swssr.v24i2.2194

Authors

Prince Agwu University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Health Policy Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria, Africa Editor for Social Work & Social Sciences Review https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9224-7622

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1921/swssr.v24i2.2194

Keywords:

coronavirus, Covid-19, Health in All Policies, social determinants of health, social work, social work identity

Abstract

The social work profession is growing in many low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In Nigeria, the profession recently got backed by an act of law, yet with persisting grey areas about its roles and responsibilities in the health sector, as well as many other sectors. The relegation of social work in containing Covid-19, and generally in Nigeria’s health sector, is largely lamented by published studies. As similar countries to Nigeria face this same challenge, there is a need to reflect on the limited roles of social work in health and what can be done to address this. A global agenda in the ‘Health in All Policies’ (HiAP) aligns with the need to consolidate social care and justice in healthcare. This commentary, through a review of literature and contextual experience, recommends a tripartite approach (union, community presence, and documented protocol), in scaling up social work presence in contexts where they struggle for identity

Author Biography

Prince Agwu, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Health Policy Research Group, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, Enugu, Nigeria, Africa Editor for Social Work & Social Sciences Review

Prince Agwu is a researcher and academic in Social Work Department, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and a Research Fellow at the Health Policy Research Group, University of Nigeria. He holds a PhD in Social Policy and is a Commonwealth Alumnus of the University of Dundee, Scotland, UK. He is the African Section Editor of Social Work and Social Sciences Review and an Academic Editor for PLOS One. He holds other editorial board positions at Family Medicine and Primary Care, Frontiers in Public Health, and the International Journal of Public Health. His research niche is in social policy, with a focus on governance concerns in health systems and migration.

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