The Need for Effective Health Communication Systems in Lesotho

Health communication is critical in managing public health concerns and emergencies. The human Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak emerged as one of the most significant health crises in the 21st century, overwhelming health systems in both developed and developing nations. Lesotho, a developing nation, was not immune to resultant socio-economic and cultural challenges, but what the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted is the importance of having an efficient way of communicating health in managing and mitigating the impact of a crisis.

Health communication is critical in managing public health concerns and emergencies. The human Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak emerged as one of the most significant health crises in the 21st century, overwhelming health systems in both developed and developing nations. Lesotho, a developing nation, was not immune to resultant socio-economic and cultural challenges, but what the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted is the importance of having an efficient way of communicating health in managing and mitigating the impact of a crisis. Using articles from newspapers and social media, this chapter explores the critical questions regarding the significance of an efficient health communication system during crises. It adopts four theories of crisis communication to explain the different factors that can influence health communication in Lesotho. In addition, this chapter illustrates that building an effective communication for health encompasses more than just the tenets of communication, as there are other factors outside the realm of communication, such as political will and commitment, public trust, managing public emotions, building competent media systems and stakeholder engagement, all of which must be taken into consideration. Analysing the success and failures of health communication systems employed in Lesotho during the COVID-19 pandemic can yield valuable insights for future public health communication efforts and preparedness during a health emergency.