Reflections on the Concomitants of the Restrictive Visitation Policy During the COVID-19 Pandemic: An Ubuntu Perspective

Abstract

Caregiving is a prominent concept in the Ubuntu philosophy, and caring and visitation of the sick is regarded as an example of Ubuntu. The restrictive visitation policy adopted in the hospitals during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic affected the exhibition of this concept among patients, nurses, and families. The narrative inquiry was used to explore the reflections of the participants on the impact caused by the non-visitation policy experienced during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. The narrative inquiry approach allowed the participants to tell their story as it is unique to them. The study used purposive sampling technique to select five participants for the webinar. Three themes emerged from the narrated stories which are 1) moral anguish of the caregivers; 2) mental health instability, and 3) erosion of trust in health care practitioners (HCPs). The non-visitation hospital policy was intended to reduce the danger of spreading COVID-19 within and outside the hospital; however, the care provided was devoid of the values of Ubuntu such as mutual respect, relational, responsibility, reciprocity, and interconnectedness. In retrospect, a case-by-case application of the policy would reduce the non-desirable effect of the policy on the patients, nurses, and patients' family members.

Religion and Health in a COVID-19 Context : Experiences from Zimbabwe

“…Ubuntu philosophy in the context of a pandemic such as COVID-19 appears to contradict the purposes of COVID-19 protocols that were meant to slow down the spread of COVID-19. Although the strength of the philosophy lay in wholeness and unity of purpose, it was threatened by COVID-19 (Mulaudzi, Anokwuru, Du-Plessis & Lebese, 2022). This, however, does not mean the Ubuntu values were totally eradicated.…”

The place of philosophy in nursing

“…During lockdowns, people existed in isolation where individuals breached the public health order in private or/and publicly through machinations with similar minded individuals to escape from loneliness. While this demonstrated the importance and indispensable nature of interconnectedness it also elucidated potential danger to the general well-being of the other in the lived world (Mulaudzi et al, 2022). Despite the lockdown, Ubuntu philosophy highlighted its relevance to the management of COVID-19 through its elements of holism, social justice and human rights, generosity, sharing and team spirit, food security, health promotion, spirituality and environmental justice and personal hygiene and self-awareness and responsibility (Chigangaidze et al, 2022).…”

BAKUNANAYS guidelines for communicating COVID-19 vaccination information to pregnant women in the Philippines and other developing countries

“…Despite being based on information sources and autoethnographic narratives from the Philippines, the BAKUNANAYS guidelines can also be applied to other countries with a similar socioeconomic profile and cultural values, such as community-oriented and collectivist relationality that is present in several African (Adams et al, 2012), South American, and Asian cultures (Triandis and Suh, 2002). To further illustrate, there are growing calls in African cultures to incorporate the idea of "ubuntu" (Mugumbate, 2020) in reassessing COVID-19 health care interventions such as those in hospital visitations (Mulaudzi et al, 2022) and health communication (Ngondo and Klyueva, 2022). Like the Filipino value of "kapwa", the African value of "Ubuntu" evokes an ontological priority of the community over the individual in dealing with pressing health issues.…”