SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT

At present, the social welfare department at Mloganzila hospital is comprised of eight social workers. The Social workers provide frontline services to patients with conditions spanning the entire health care continuum. Helps patients and the families understand a particular illness, work through the emotions of a diagnosis, and provide counseling about the decisions that need to be made. The social workers also are the essential members of interdisciplinary hospital teams. They do sensitize the understanding and respect of   the social and emotional aspects of a patient’s illness. Social workers utilize various skills to help patients and their families address and resolve the social, financial and psychological problems related to their health condition.

Among other duties, specific functions of social workers at Mloganzila hospital include:

• Doing psychosocial assessment of patient and families;
• Helping patients and families understand the illness and treatment options, as well as consequences of various treatments or treatment refusal;
• Helping patients/families adjust to hospital admission; possible role changes; exploring emotional/social responses to illness and treatment;
• Educating patients on the roles of health care team members;
•  Educating patients and families about the referral system and the available resources in the community;
• Facilitating decision making on behalf of patients and families;
•  Educating hospital staff on the patient psychosocial issues;
•  Promoting communication and collaboration among health care team members;
•  Coordinating patient discharge and continuity of care planning;
•  Arranging for resources/funds to finance medications and other needed services;
•  Ensuring communication and understanding about post-hospital care among patient, family and health care team members;
•  Advocating for the health care rights of patients in line with government policy