CHALLENGES FACING MEDICAL SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE IN GOMA PROVINCIAL HOSPITAL, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO (DRC)

Abstract

The study used GOMA hospital as a case study to generate an in-depth framework of indicators to shed light on the practice of medical social work in the Democratic Republic of Congo in general, and in Goma Provincial hospital in particular. The study was justified by the fact that there are little empirical studies done on the challenges facing medical social work practice and the issues affecting the social work profession in the DRC. Besides social work profession is not well developed across the country. In particular, the study focuses on how the type of services delivered affect medical social work practice in the hospital. The hospital had 164 health personnel, 3 professional social workers, 18 management staff, and 170 inpatients at the time of study. Through stratified random sampling a total sample of 85 health personnel, 3 social workers, 6 communication staff, 89 patients, and 9 management staff were selected leading to a total sample size of 191. Data were collected through interviews by use of questionnaires and key informants guides. The study found that more women than men are involved in social work and other helping related work at the hospital. On the other hand, there are more men in management positions at the hospital than women. The social work practice at the Goma Provincial Hospital is limited in scope. This is because very few social workers are available and the types of services they offer are limited to providing counseling services, visiting the sick and providing psychosocial support to the sick. While the number of social workers is limited, the doctors and nurses go beyond their duties to offer psychosocial support to the patients; thus they perform medical social work duties over and above their normal curative tasks. Some of the key challenges affecting social work practice at the Goma provincial hospital are lack of government support at 79%, lack of trained personnel at 63%, lack of management policy on social work practice at 97%, lack of facilities and lack of appreciation of social work practice at 89.8%. However, the study concludes that there is immense need for social work services. Based on these findings the study recommends that government considers enacting a policy that would promote training and proper management of the social work profession in the country. Increased government support in the scholarships and encourage social work to be offered as a course in colleges and universities in the Country. Additionally, hospital management ought to be gender responsive in order to mainstream social work as an essential support service at the hospital, and other health institutions in the country.