Objectives and Strategies

Objectives

The general objective of health education, information and communication is to raise health awareness of the people as a means to promote improved health status and to prevent disease through the efforts of the people themselves and full utilization of available resources. The specific objectives of NHEICC are listed below:

  • To mobilize and use modern and traditional communication multimedia and methods to raise health awareness, knowledge and promote healthy behaviour among the general public.
  • To strengthen, expand and implement health communication programmes at all levels.
  • To generate, collect and mobilize resources to implement health information, education and communication (IEC) programmes.
  • To prevent the unauthorized dissemination and duplication of health-related messages or information and IEC materials on different issues.
  • To enhance capacity on health communication to develop, produce and disseminate quality, correct, authorized, uniform and appropriate messages and information.
  • To provide quality health messages and information through appropriate media and methods to the citizens who otherwise have little access to such messages and information.

Strategies

Advocacy, social mobilization and behaviour change communication are the major strategies for health promotion, education and communication. The specific strategies are as follows:

  • Advocating with all levels of stockholders for building healthy public policy and health in all policies.
  • Implementing a one-door integrated approach for all health IEC programmes under MoHP. Ensuring adequate budget for health IEC programmes.
  • Coordinating and collaborating with all levels of stakeholders through technical committees and other means.
  • Ensuring implementation of health IEC programmes through health infrastructure at all tiers of federal government i.e. federal, provincial and local levels in a decentralized manner.
  • Mobilizing communication media, methods and materials for the prevention of diseases and promotion of health.
  • Standardizing health messages and information for uniformity and appropriateness.
  • Using edutainment approach with an education format for disseminating health messages and information.
  • Ensuring that all stakeholders disseminate health messages and information after taking consent from concerned MoHP authorities.
  • Encouraging the media to disseminate messages and information on health issues.
  • Encouraging the dissemination of health messages and information through public-private partnerships.
  • Discouraging messages and information that is harmful to health.
  • Prioritizing lifestyle diseases prevention messages and information dissemination.
  • Building the capacity of health workers to plan and implement health IEC programmes.
  • Ensuring the quality, uniformity and standardization of health messages and materials through technical committees.
  • Introducing new communication technologies for health promotion and health communication.
  • Coordinating with academia for building the capacity of health workers on health promotion and health communication.
  • Strengthening monitoring and supervision activities to determine the gaps in knowledge, attitudes and practices among target audiences and service providers