An Examination of the Culture of Health education and Education for Health in Timor-Leste

This study examines public health culture in Timor-Leste, subsequent to independence in 2002. After having been a colony of Portugal for 450 years and under Indonesian occupation for almost 25 years, Timor-Leste has established a new health system and began promoting health education in the country. This thesis is a qualitative case study in which prominent local people and international workers in Timor-Leste were interviewed, and existing information from both international and local organizations was investigated, along with relevant research from the literature review. The information was compared with neighbouring countries’ health education programs and similar studies. Moreover, this study explores the benefits and disadvantages between one district near the capital and another district at the east end of the country. The government organized the flagship program, Servisu Integradu da Saúde Communitária (SISCa) (Integrated Community Health Services) titled, “From, With and To the Community,” as a bottom-up program in 2008, for participation by the citizens. The government is successfully shifting from only hospital health care to community health care. In addition, the model of curable health care was changed successfully to one of preventative health care. The government will need to continue development of the country’s health plan by implanting more fully health education in the schools and communities, and by organizing infrastructures, such as the clean water system and the sewage system in the whole country, to modify the sanitation and hygiene problems.Ph.D