About us
Our Vision
The vision of the Catholic Health System is that the members of Christ’s Holy Body enjoy holistic health of mind, body and spirit. The health system is to be the foremost agent of the health-for-all movement in Nigeria by providing holistic health care to one and all in the spirit of the Christ who came to do and to teach – so that men, women and children would have life in abundance
Mission Statement
The mission of the Catholic Health System in Nigeria is to share in the healing ministry of Jesus Christ through the provision of health services that are holistic and affirm human dignity and the sacredness of life. We are committed to promoting the holistic lives of every citizen, including but not limited to healing physically, socially and/or spiritually defective lives and creatively accompanying the sick to a dignified death when it is so willed by God.
Guiding Principles
Catholic health services derive from the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Church, and affirm the sacredness of all human life as created by God. These services affirm all international, national and local philosophies which are based on the natural law, the culture of life and promotion of human dignity with the fullness of life thereof.
Every person is created by God in his very own image and likeness and possesses an inherent dignity that must be respected from its conception to a natural death. For this reason, ALL persons have the right to basic, quality and comprehensive health care, whether they believe in God or not.
Riches, the entire wealth of nature and the world, must be considered a common good for all humanity, to be used in a way that fosters the good of all, without any discrimination between the persons for a healthy and dignified life.
Health care is a service to people in medical need or a fundamental right to disease prevention and health protection and promotion which should never be considered a mere commodity or a prime means to provide returns for investors.
It is a special mission of the Church to provide care for the vulnerable, the powerless and the disadvantaged, in whose faces we can best see the suffering face of Christ himself.
Health care resources, as all resources everywhere, are limited and so must be managed prudently and in right conscience.
The summary of all the rules of life for man is to love. Therefore, love as Agape and its divine Filia (Storge) as well as Platony (Philia), must be the basis of our health services. In like manner, love (as Agape and its divine Filia) and the solidarity that stems from it is the only basis for peace in the world; and peace is a necessary dimension of health – individual and corporate.
The persons most affected by any decisions should have or otherwise be helped to have adequate input into the decision-making process, by their utmost information on all issues relevant to the decision being made; with the care giver in the health services playing only the subsidiary role in that process. Similarly, in the entire health and human services, the roles of the human institutions must proceed in the natural order of the individual making the informed decision him/herself; and if needed, then helped by the family, his value or faith-based society and then the government and civil society in that order of human primary social support, with mutual respects; but NEVER otherwise, in conflict, undermining or in opposition to the one or the other; or vice versa.
All persons should benefit from needed and objective medical care and assistance, regardless of their resources, their faith, religion, sex, political affiliations or such other human considerations but should receive it in the spirit of our common humanity; unless they conflict with the objective moral order and natural law.
As the horizontal dimension of Agape, charity finds it’s supreme expression in the life and works of Jesus, who “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38, etc). The Church goes out to meet the sick and suffering, bringing them comfort and hope in the pattern of Christ Jesus.
- Sacredness and inviolability of human life;
- Stewardship of the common good;
- Compassion;
- Social justice;
- Equity;
- Freewill;
- Informed conscience;
- The highest ethical standards of practice and Mutual respect
Goals of Nigerian Health Service
- 1. To develop a health care organization that combines commitment to the Gospel values with scientifically and professionally sound practices.
- 2. To attain the level and complement of health services that will enable all her clients to achieve socially and economically productive lives.
- 3. To expand and improve the quality of health care available to all in the country.
- 4. To reach out to the marginalized sections of the society through provision of healthcare services for the poor and vulnerable.
- 5. To provide services in identified areas of healthcare need that are peculiar to the values of the Church such as natural family planning (NFP) including Natural Ovulation Applications (NOVApp) Technology; NaProtechnology (Natural Procreative Technology); ecological breastfeeding and natural mothering; hospice care; crisis pregnancy care; adolescent chastity education and the enriched, self-controlled sexual and family life and support.
Policies of the Health Unit
Nigerian Catholic Health Policy
Complete guide on the Catholic Health Policy
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HIV/AIDS Policy for the Catholic Church in Nigeria
Recent documents of the HIV/AIDS intervention road maps and reports
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