Download This PaperPractitioners Perspective of Ethical Cases and Policy Responses by Professional Regulator: The Case of Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON)
Olalekan RM, Olawale SH, Christian A, Simeon AO. Practitioners Perspective of Ethical Cases and Policy Responses by Professional Regulator: The Case of Environmental Health Offi cers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON). American J Epidemiol Public Health; 4(1): 016-023, 2020
8 Pages Posted: 25 Apr 2020
Date Written: 2020
Abstract
Background: Human health protection is a prime motivation for environmental regulation around the globe and each collapse of structure carries with it tremendous effects that cannot be forgotten in a hurry. The effects include increased crises among stakeholders, loss of trust, dignity and environmental devastation. Yet, it appears that the relationship between Environmental Health Officers Registration Council of Nigeria (EHORECON) and Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) is steadily breaking down and the attention being given to the subject of environmental health ethics is not achieving expected objectives. Environmental health ethics is a discipline of its own that deals with morality on the basis of sound and safe professional practice in environmental health, evidence of which is beginning to get scanty. It is a practical and behavioural subject and so is very important to preventive health practice.
Objective: This study aims at assessing the way professional regulator (EHORECON) handled the known ethical cases in Nigeria.
Methods: Online google form was used to access a large group of Environmental health practitioners (EHPs). One hundred and thirty-nine (139) questionnaires were settled for, as the sample size for the study through an adapted and validated questionnaire instrument. Data collected were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20 software.
Results: Result reveals that 12.9% of the respondents rated the way professional regulator (EHORECON) handled the known ethical cases in Nigeria as very satisfactorily while 48.9%, 21.6% and 16.5% rated it as satisfactorily, unsatisfactorily and poorly respectively. Result shows that the majority of the practitioners (48.9%) rated the way professional regulator (EHORECON) handled the known ethical cases in Nigeria as satisfactorily.
Conclusions: Sustaining the culture of professional collaboration in the hearts and minds of all those involved in environmental health ethics activities is key. As Lee state “the only way to continue to improve is to address the hearts and minds of EHORECON Management and EHOs”. This is a sure step towards guaranteeing integrity. Greater attention to professional negligence by environmental health officers which is to guard against their being liable suggests a protectionist relationship between EHORECON and EHOs. But such protectionist tendency without understanding the philosophy, principles and basic theories of environmental health ethics cannot provide ethical practice in environmental health. It is suggested that moral philosophy and policy studies should be given urgent attention and the doors of EHORECON should not be shut to appropriate ethics education.
Keywords: Professional Regulator, Ethical Cases, Environmental Health Officer, EHORECON, Nigeria
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation