RELEVANCE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS IN HEALTH INSTITUTIONS

ABSTRACT

In every organization, communication is a dominant activity. For an organization to survive in this contemporary world and fierce competitive market, they must employ effective and strategic communication through Public Relations activities. The use of Public Relations is leveraged by organizations to influence harmony and peace in order to attain their goals and objectives. It is a veritable, intangible, and vital tool for every organization, big or small. It is against this backdrop that the study examines the Relevance of Public Relations in Health Institutions using Stella Obasanjo Hospital as a case study. This study is anchored on the Social Responsibility Theory and Excellence Theory as its theoretical framework. The study also adopted the survey research design which made use of the questionnaire in gathering data from respondents. The study adopted the non-probability technique; purposive sampling. Findings from the study show that though the public relations team at Stella Obasanjo Hospital have not be very effective, they have be relevant in improving the image of the hospital significantly. The study further revealed that it is important for every organization, including hospitals, to have a public relations team in order to create a favourable image with the public and achieve its objectives.From the analyzed data, with proper two-way communication and development strategies, the public relations team can lead to a positive relationship with its publics. The study recommended that the public relations team at Stella Obasanjo Hospital should constantly deliver updates and information to its publics, create and improve social media Content, and use social media to build a positive image and improve communication.