A REVIEW OF THE ROLE OF SOCIAL WORK IN HEALTHCARE DELIVERY IN NIGERIA

Social work has a key role to play in healthcare delivery in Nigeria. It addresses diverse social issues that impact individual’s health and well-being. Social work, as a profession, plays a crucial role in addressing social and psychological determinants of health, promoting social integration, and enhancing societal wellbeing in the context of healthcare delivery in the country. Therefore, this paper focuses on the role of social work in Nigeria’s healthcare delivery. The specific objective of this paper included a look at social work as a profession and the challenges to the role of social work in healthcare delivery in Nigeria. Secondary sources of data were reviewed and content analyzed while the functionalist theory was utilized to buttress the paper. The paper revealed that, social workers are key players in the inter-disciplinary team of healthcare because not all illnesses require medical solutions. Some illnesses require social diagnosis and social solutions, which social workers are trained to handle and social workers in healthcare delivery play core roles in ensuring an effective and efficient health care service delivery system to meeting the social determinants of health. It was therefore recommended that: there should be constant workshops for all health professionals on what social work stands for. The management of health facilities should employ people with qualified certificates in social work to practice in the hospital settings which will enhance the quality of service.