Public Health Education Liason and Advocacy - PHELA

Public Health Education, Liaison and Advocacy (PHELA) Project is a national registered NGO (Reg. No 288-015)and its mission is to improve the health outcomes socially excluded South Africans who live with long-term chronic conditions, by enhancing their quality of life through patient education programs and facilitated support groups. We believe that 90% of treatment and management of chronic cond

itions is dependent on patients knowledge and self efficacy and facilitated support in their communities. South Africa is going through burden of disease which is characterized by a rising incidence, morbidity and mortality rates of long-term chronic health conditions like Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Asthma, stroke and other lifestyle related conditions in the lower economic classes and previously disadvantaged sectors of the population. In addition to implementing intervention programs directly to patients, we intend to tackle social risk factors that are beyond the agency of vulnerable populations. These factors include poverty, social housing, welfare issues and education. It is crucial therefore, to have a comprehensive and integrated approach to tackling chronic conditions. Additionally, rising costs of drugs, consultation fees, waiting times, transport, Doctor-patient ratios are factors which make health services inaccessible and ineffective to patients. PHELA was founded to mitigate social and personal factors which facilitate the epidemic of non-communicable chronic conditions.