THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PUBLICATIONS DEPARTMENT IN GOVERNMENT ESTABLISHMENTS UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA TEACHING HOSPITAL AS A CASE STUDY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
REFERENCES
REFERENCES
References
Public relations is one important way of creating a two-way channel of communication between an administrative body and other members of the wilder society. By definition it means the sharing of ideas. In the whole lo of communication and its related conceptual frame works, understanding and goodwill are of immense importance. Public relations is an amorphous which have attracted varied definition from different scholars. Everyone seeing it from his own perspective. public relations means publicity it also involves the promotion of specific ideas, understanding, views and aims of people of the human family.
In the art of public relations there is a promotion and equal understanding of the views and aims of other people even of cross purposes. Public relations simply means good deed and effective communication.
Finally, public relation stand out as a management function which evaluates public attitudes, identifies the policies and procedures of an individual or an organization with public interest, understanding and acceptance. In the final analysis on this conceptual frame work about public relations is the fact that public relations is a philosophy and function of management. it studies and evaluates public attitudes and the procedures by which an organization is being run, so as to maintain the principles of good will with the members of the wilder society. In fulfilling the tenants of action designed to earn public understanding and acceptance to an organization.
In virtually al organization there is the public relations department through which the image of the organization is being promoted. Whereas in the principles and art of public relations, there is a deliberates, planned and sustained effort to establish and maintain mutual understanding between an organization and its various publics. In a hospital community like that of the university of Nigeria teaching hospital, it can be said that the public relations function are of immense value for the overall running of the establishment. in this community abound patient and medical experts whose duty is to cure and care for the said patients. Infacts, the management function of the medical doctor in this establishments can not close monitoring of the activities of those medical experts. In other words, the public relations understudies the relationship between the patients and the doctors and reaches a conclusion on whether or not it is cordial. In execution of their legitimate functions practitioners of public relation in a hospital outfit stands to monitor the state of affairs of patients vis-à-vis the attention they receive from the doctors.
Now, having said much about the definitions and functions of the public relations department generally it has become pertinent this juncture to examine or take a look on the institution chosen as a case study to this work. Historically the university of Nigeria teaching hospital began as a standard general hospital for African, as built by the colonial masters or administrators during the pre-colonial era. During the end of the civil war in Nigeria, there was a programme of action by the war time administrator General Yakubu Gowon to rehabilitate and reconstruct the aspects of the country’s polity and infrastructural facilities that was badly battered by the war.
Consequent upon this programme the university of Nigeria teaching hospital as it is presently allied was rehabilitated into becoming a specialists hospital on July 1st, 1970. the hospital then had a total number of 50 doctors, 10 awards of 300 beds and a chest unit of60 beds. There are 350 nurses as at that time.
By decree No 23 of 1974, the Federal military government took over the hospital but left the management in the hands of a council of the university of Nigeria Nuskka (UNN). The university of Nigeria teaching hospital (UNTH) because independent in July 1976 with the appointment of a management board. The board was headed by chief Ade Akomolafe (JP) from 1976 till data, the hospital have had three management boards. The hospital has 41 main departments including the al important public relations department on its present time, with two out post via comprehension health center at Obukpa near Nsukka and Abagana Njikoka local government area of Anambra state. The present bed state of the hospital is put at 700 (seven hundred) as at December 1989 the staff strength stands at about 86 medial consultants, 234 other medical doctors, 28 pharmacists and 2,239 other members of staff. The hospital has training of medical students in the college of medicine. It also run a post graduate professional courses in various fields of medicine. The UNTH, has teaching and research responsibilities and its health team personnel have been enforced in constant search for better ways of health care delivery. This research responsibilities include the ones conducted by the public relations team to ensure that the patients on train adequate attention from the teachings employed to take care of them.
Community services rendered by the UNTH extends to several states of federal republic of Nigeria. The UNTH apart from serving as a referred center for all smaller health institutions east of the Nigeria, also as a federal government hospital have been designated a center of excellence for cordiothroacic medicine. The hospital provides 24 hours services and embodied in it are the accident and emergency wards.
As part of its objectives, the hospital provides hospital clinical teaching facilities for the training of newly qualified doctors nurses, pharmacists, laboratory technologists, physiotherapist and other persons in the health filed. it provided in an out –patient services to its clients through the highly train staff. It conducts and promotes research in all matters patterning to health it also provides adequate clinical materials for services and teaching.
The university of Nigeria teaching hospital has been part of a chequered history and to this end therefore, there is need to examine its achievements in this background information. The hospital is known for its heath care delivery services in Enugu, Anambra state and beyond. A lot of major medical feats has been recorded since 1974. On February 1st, 1974, a first ever successful open heart surgery in black Africa took place at the hospital, on August 23rd, 1975 a total lip transplant was successfully executed on January 8th, 1988, a set of pygopages immense teens were separated. Apart from the above major achievements, on August 18th, 18987, a first surviving quintuplets by Nigerian parents were delivered in the hospital.
Having said that much, one can say without fear of contradistinction, than the university of Nigeria teaching hospital have come to stay. And its records of achievements over the year have been brought to public consumption through the activities of its effective public relations department.
Assessing the effectiveness of public relations outfit in a public institution like the university of Nigeria teaching hospital has always puzzled a lot of research over the years. The public relations is part of the management .its activities are deliberate, because they are not supposed to be accidental. The tempo of activities in the hospital under review must be sustained, this is achieved trough monitoring the state of than is on a daily basis, the public relations organs should jknow everything on about the organization so that it will know to realty with the public.
This research therefore attempt to show the effectiveness of a public relations outfits in a public institution as the university of Nigeria teaching hospital (UNTH).
Public relations is an attitude of an organization which places the interests of the people first in all maters concerning the conduct of the organization. The underlying philosophy of this study is that a public relations department should function to serve the primary needs of the people dependent upon it for employment, wages, goods and services and for social and spiritual satisfaction. The public relations department of public institutions have been seen to be a most effective means of promoting the image of an organization, the public are thus convinced that the said organization is set out to be of true services to it.
Geer Jankouski, while contributing to an article titled public relations, the administrative nerve center of organization stated in cam broad journal that the public relations function exerts a untold influence on the ability of a organization to perform creditably and to the public taste”
Furthermore, Charles Schewe (1987) writes that “public relations is one of the fastest growing are of an organization. It is the life- wire of most organization because it is only through it that the public can get to know the bulk of activities that happens of takes place in an organization. If Schewes assertions is to be believed what factors can one safely say, makes a public relations outfits a most important arm of on organization could the activities of the public relations department of an establishment influence the attitudes of people of the wider society towards holding a given establishment in a high esteem?
The above questions prompted the researcher to write this research project. In attempting to solve this problems a case study of the university of Nigeria teaching hospital Enugu was used. It is established to cater for the health needs of a vast of the Nigeria population. How does the activities of public relations department in a hospital like the UNTH enhance productivity? does it monitor and conduct research into vital aspects of the hospital performance so as to uplift its image in the opinion of the masses. These are problems statements which should be looked into in this work.
The practice of public relations as predicted on the belief that only the informed public can be use public. And winning the confidence of he public is the greatest asset of any organization. No organization can prosper without public awareness. If an establishment is to command greater audience and maintain an appreciable good level of public margin, if must show its works which is what eventually effective is all about.
Therefore the objectives of this study are:
The presence of the public relations department in the university of Nigeria teaching hospital Enugu coughed with its various functions have made if difficult for researchers to ascertain its effectiveness in this al important government establishments.
It is therefore, hoped that this work would be of immense help to those who are interested in finding the purposes of a public relations outfit services in a hospital community. This will also involve the issue of how the PR unit of the hospital is constantly made use of to serve the interest of the patients at all times effectively and efficiency too. It will also assist the other departments of the hospital to continue to give honest nod sincere services.
Furthermore, it is equally hoped that this work would contribute to existing journals, newspapers, magazines, books and other scholarly publication dealing with the subject mater. Little thought was given as to the extent public relations have been of value to its survival.
The use of this department and its effective thereof have been said to be great and most researchers based their findings on the efforts of this department to ascertain the extent to which is activities can influence the activities vital public institutions. To some extents some work on this subject failed to balance the differences between what public establishment seeks to achieve, and how far they have succeeded in obtaining it through the activities of its public relations unit.
We therefore found that there is need for a place which is patient – oriented to use services offered by public relations outfits to expand its operations and therefore break even at every twist and turn, this study is aimed at finding out the effectiveness of a PR unit in a public health institution. Like he UNTH, Enugu .ideas suggested in this work will help agencies of public institutions to establish facts concerning benefits it stands to drive from a public relations department.
Having identified the problems which this resech project attempts to sole, there are some questions which is answers would serve as an index of measuring the effectiveness of public relations unit in a public health institution like the UNTH Enugu
These questions are:-
This research will be based on the following hypothesis
Hi: The PR unit brings about a harmonious report between the staff and the patient.
Ho: The PR unit does not brings about a harmonious report between the staff and the patient
H2: This two-way relationship is made possible through a careful monitoring by the hospitals PR unit
Ho: This two-way relationship can not made possible through a careful monitoring by the hospitals PR unit
H3: The PR unit in the hospital seek for the welfare of the patients.
Ho: The PR unit in the hospital do not seek for the welfare of the patients
H4: The PR staff provides a basis through which members of the society can make their needs known to the hospital.
Ho: The PR staff do not provides a basis through which members of the society can make their needs known to the hospital.
H5: The unit arranges for the welfare of any health team that will come to conduct any examination in the hospital.
Ho: The unit, can not arranges for the welfare of any health team that will come to conduct any examination in the hospital.
For the purpose of this study, some of he key concepts used in this work would be defined operationally. This definition is done to enhance the understanding of the use of these terms in this work.
It is assumed that the PR department of the UNTH, Enugu provides an ideal form at or conceptual framework for examining the effectiveness fop public relations outfit in publican owned institutions.
The principles and practices of public relations in most public institutions have provided a basis for the evaluation of the performances of such public establishments.
It is assumed that this research project will form a basis upon which knowledge of the UNTH, Enugu can be better appreciated. By fostering good will between the patients and staff, the public relations department have been of useful services to the hospital.
There are some limitations which militate against the research during the course of writing this research project.
One of these factors is that this is the researchers first attempt in a scientific research, therefore inexperience constituted a major limitation.
Again, this work could have covered a wide range of issues in the PR units job in the hospital but because of financial constraint, the study is limited to some specific areas.
The researcher is also aware that some respondents may be hesitate to disclose the true picture of things for reasons best known to them. the researcher is also conscious that some respondents to the interview conceal of been Pont things too good or too bad. Because of this, there may be a little percentage of error in the results from this reserch work.
The scope of this study include data process procedure. The statistical parameter that will be used in the analysis of data in this research will be simple percentage methods.
The data will be collected and analyzed by means of percentage frequency will be found for each item after responses from respondents on the course of the interview.
REFERENCES
Gene Jankouskin: Public relations the administrative Nerve of organization
Charles Schewe (1987) public relations as the life –wiring of most organizations.
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