By steve anyebe.
For a clearer understanding, a health facility is described as a place where health professionals are engaged in different departments working and or training towards creating and maintaining healthy living conditions for the people and meting out treatments when the needs arise. While such facilities include clinics, hospitals, universities, and Teaching Hospitals, the professionals in reference are Doctors, Nurses, Midwives, Pharmacists, Laboratory Technicians/Technologists, etc.
The role of an Information/Public Relations Unit is to act as an effective bridge between the health facility and the public by continously creating and projecting a positive image impact through the effective deployment of available information and media channels. To successfully play this role, the Information/Public Relations Unit must undertake certain functions, which are discussed below.
The Unit must be able to sustain an attractive disposition of the health facility through a dynamically viable feedback system between the Organisation and the public, as well as with other healthcare providers.
The Information/Public Affairs Unit must adequately publicise the facility’s news both within and outside by deploying appropriate media channels in areas such as New Products; Coming Events; Special Breakthroughs; Early Warnings; etc.
It must also be able to initiate, plan, and execute public functions on behalf of the health facility(e.g Medical Outreaches; Public Health Awareness campaigns and Sporting Clinics).
In addition, it should also engage in strategic thinking resulting in the formulation and execution of purposeful promotional campaign programmes to grow the facility’s brand.
Furthermore, the Unit should be able to promote and maintain internal vertical and horizontal communication lines among all stakeholders in the Organisation for greater productivity and efficiency.
It is also the function of the Information/Public Relations Unit to resolve conflicts and crises with stakeholders, especially in times of critical existential issues such as epidemics and pandemics, through education and sensitisation.
Another crucial function of the Unit is to maintain and continously update an information database from which required data could be accessed for purposes of policy formulation, research requirements, and general organisational improvements (i.e a Health Information System- HIS).
One of the most important functions of such a Unit is to run an effective feedback system between patients, the public, and the facility, and publish weekly, monthly, and annual reports for both internal and external consumption.
As the alter ego of the facility, through which the public should draw understanding and inspiration, the Information/Public Relations Unit must imbibe and demonstrate the core values of Integrity, Transparency, and Trust. Through these values, the ultimate essence of a mutually benefiting relationship would easily be achieved.
It must however be noted that the vibrancy and effectiveness of an Information/Public Relations Unit is wholy dependent on the quality of its human content, as well as the technical component. The staff of the Unit must be specially recruited based only on competence and the policy of comparative advantage. They must also be continously trained to keep abreast with the dynamics of modern global trends.
*Steve Ogwu Anyebe is a Media/Public Relations Consultant and CEO of RENSAC CONSULTS INTERNATIONAL.*