In your opinion, what is the most important or vital health issue in developed countries?
Why do you feel this way?
WHO declared more than six decades ago that the “enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being” (Robinson, 2009). Being healthy and enjoying a disease-free health is one of the most important priorities in our lives today. Healthy living comprises of spiritual health, physical health and mental health. Men have started focusing on establishing a concurrent rapport in all of these areas of health. There are many of us who practices Yoga and meditation for mental and spiritual health and exercise for physical health. Health is the first and foremost expectation and priority in our lives today.
Gannotti, Handwerker, Groce and Cruz (2001), puts forwards various norms of health considered in the Puerto Rican children. Healthy living is not an excuse, however, it is not practiced everywhere. According to Robinson (2009), inequalities in basic health services remain intolerably wide, even in many high-income countries. When I came to United States I was very much impressed by the health care system. I got charmed by the health care system and started repeating in my mind “all that glitter is gold”. However, now that I have made my footsteps a little bit more firm in the industry I came to know that “all that glitters is not gold in reality”. United States is indeed a dream country for people like me who come from a third world developing country. However, each coin has two sides and in the same way I started analyzing some of the black spots in the health care field.
The most important vital health issues that develop countries like United States suffer from are lack of direct access. Although many states now have incorporated direct access of physical therapy still there are some areas where direct access is still not available. Even if the patient gets direct access still physical therapist cannot prescribe medications. The reason why I think this is the most important issue is based on the following points:
1) Due to lack of direct access physical therapists need to wait for a referral no matter how deadly the symptoms are.
2) Physical Therapist cannot prescribe medications and at the end the patients need to visit the physiatrist/physician for further recommendation.
3) Sometimes when appointments of physician are not available the patients are made to wait unnecessarily in order to get physical therapy.
4) Physical therapists are treated as second handed clinician in their own practice.
I considered the above mention issue as one of the vital importance. If this issue is fixed 50% of the Medicare outage can be cut short. Direct access provides imminent care and precise care for the patients rather than waiting forever to get the appointment. Direct access gives more freedom to the physical therapist to analyze and treat multiple problems of the patients which may sometimes go unnoticed by the physician. Direct access helps the physical therapists to stabilize their command on their fields and areas of expertise.
As of me being brought up in a developing country there are many important vital issues related to health that I can discuss here. However, before going there I would say that in India we have direct access to physical therapy. The physical therapist can also prescribe medications within the scopes of practice.
The vital issues of developing countries like India are:
1) Lack of proper sanitations and hygiene.
2) Lack of public awareness to reach out for medical help.
3) Pseudo healers.
4) Public relies on all kinds of treatments without checking the credentials.
5) Wonderful public hospitals providing free care but again lack of hygiene and sanitations in government hospitals.
6) Direct access to pharmacy. Pills can be purchased by any individual and sometimes without prescription.
7) Lack of education and awareness of conditions like AIDS, syphilis and gonorrhea.
8) Increase ratio of poverty/lack of immunization.
9) No insurance so middle class people and people below middle class can only take treatment at government hospitals as they cannot afford costly private hospitals.
10) Biggest health issue is Food Hygiene. No grading for the restaurants and cafés.
All the above mention factors are the most important issues that I have seen as I was bought up in India. The health care system in India needs loads of reformation however, due to increase in population and poverty it will take ages to establish a better health care system.
Have you lived in developing countries? If yes, did you face the same challenges in health care settings? How did you negotiated with the situation?
Thanks,
Sweta
References:
Robinson, M. (2009). Realising the human right to health. The Lancet, 374(9696), 1121-2. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/199040196?accountid=28902. .
Gannotti, M. E., Handwerker, W., Groce, N., & Cruz, C. (2001). Sociocultural Influences on Disability Status in Puerto Rican Children. Physical Therapy, 81(9), 1512-1523
I agree wholeheartedly with you on the health issue that affects patients and people in general in developing countries. I think the closest I came to assisting people in my country was when I worked as a health facilitator with USAID. As one of the volunteers, I played an advisory role (based on my educational qualification), sensitizing the people in the area–mostly ignorant–about the adverse effects of drugs. Due to cold in the region, I observed that some people where taking drugs meant for horses because it was believed to keep them warm and give them strength (for the men now). What a shame. Lack of education in my opinion is still our greatest problem over I agree wholeheartedly with you on the health issue that affects patients and people in general in developing countries. I think the closest I came to assisting people in my country was when I worked as a health facilitator with USAID. As one of the volunteers, I played an advisory role (based on my educational qualification), sensitizing the people in the area–mostly ignorant–about the adverse effects of drugs. Due to cold in the region, I observed that some people where taking drugs meant for horses because it was believed to keep them warm and give them strength (for the men now). What a shame. Lack of education in my opinion is still our greatest problem over I agree wholeheartedly with you on the health issue that affects patients and people in general in developing countries. I think the closest I came to assisting people in my country was when I worked as a health facilitator with USAID. As one of the volunteers, I played an advisory role (based on my educational qualification), sensitizing the people in the area–mostly ignorant–about the adverse effects of drugs. Due to cold in the region, I observed that some people where taking drugs meant for horses because it was believed to keep them warm and give them strength (for the men now). What a shame. Lack of education in my opinion is still our greatest problem over I agree wholeheartedly with you on the health issue that affects patients and people in general in developing countries. I think the closest I came to assisting people in my country was when I worked as a health facilitator with USAID. As one of the volunteers, I played an advisory role (based on my educational qualification), sensitizing the people in the area–mostly ignorant–about the adverse effects of drugs. Due to cold in the region, I observed that some people where taking drugs meant for horses because it was believed to keep them warm and give them strength (for the men now). What a shame. Lack of education in my opinion is still our greatest problem over here.
Sorry for the first comment. My mobile browser messed the whole thing up. Please help me edit it away. Here is what I wanted to say:
I agree wholeheartedly with you on the health issue that affects patients and people in general in developing countries. I think the closest I came to assisting people in my country was when I worked as a health facilitator with USAID. As one of the volunteers, I played an advisory role (based on my educational qualification), sensitizing the people in the area–mostly ignorant–about the adverse effects of drugs. Due to cold in the region, I observed that some people were taking drugs meant for horses because they believed it would keep them warm and give them strength (for the men now). What a shame. Lack of education in my opinion is still our greatest problem over here.
Wow Uzoma you brought up some great points. I am surprised to know that people take drugs meant for horses? Seriously? What kind of drug? I definitely support your point that lack of education is the greatest problem in developing and under develop countries.
Cuidados com a saúde ainda é um problema que está longe de ser resolvido no meu país. Vou lhe dar um exemplo, ontem eu sofri um luxamento no meu ombro direito causado por uma queda enquanto caminhava com o meu cachorro. ele foi atacado por outro cachorro e ao tentar defender cai violentamente batendo o meu ombro numa calçada. a dor foi insuportável, os paramédicos aplicaram 6 mg de morfina e mesmo assim não diminui a dor. Resumindo, o tempo de espera a partir do acidente até chegar ao hospital e o médico recolocar o meu ombro no lugar foram quase 3 horas, isso é muito tempo.
Uma cordial saudação
Olá Joceilo, obrigado mais uma vez por comentar no meu post! É muito bom ver você postar referrencing o problema de saúde que eu listei. Você está absolutamente certo! Eu vejo que o governo é incapaz de compreender o availibility termos de cuidados e da necessidade de cuidados de saúde .. Milhares morrem a cada dia devido à falta de availibility de cuidados. A diferença entre o tratamento eo diagnóstico também está a aumentar o que leva a mais problemas … Eu espero que você esteja se sentindo bem agora e pena de resposta tardia .. Deixe-me saber como é cuidar da saúde em seu país? Como você acessa sistema de saúde lá? Você precisa de um encaminhamento para a fisioterapia? Você precisa de uma receita para conseguir antibióticos e analgésicos mais sofisticados como percocet?
Obrigado mais uma vez e eu ficarei feliz em ver seu post futuro … Cuide de sua saúde e de seu ombro.
Atenciosamente,
Sweta
Biggest problem in developed country – obesity. It leads to everything bad. I don’t know much about developing or under developed countries. I’d guess that physically getting to the patients themselves, might be an issue; as some governments will stand in the way of their citizens receiving outside medical help. I think the biggest problem we ALL are going to face, is access to clean drinking water. Scary topic to think about.
Nothing can be done to help the sick and dying in third world countries until there is permanent clean water and proper sanitation. Without these two, you can go no further.
I totally agree with you Barbara.. How have you been? Hows the weather in Georgia?
We had storms today, but escaped the tornadoes that touched down in two other cities. Praise God! How is the new routine going? I know it is difficult to manage work, school and blogging. I admire you.
Hello My dear Barbara, Great to hear and I am glad that nothing happened in your area.. That is God’s wonderful plan my dear. Thank you for the admiration my dear Barbara it means a lot to me.. Yes work and school is hectic but every tunnel has a light at the end and I can see my graduation two months from now..:-)
Sweta Christian Licensed Physical Therapist. sweeta293@hotmail.com
> Date: Thu, 31 Jan 2013 04:06:24 +0000 > To: sweeta293@hotmail.com >
Congratulations! I know it is so close you can almost taste how sweet it is to have made it through. You are a caring, loving person to whom many people will adore as they come to know you as their PT. God bless.
Thank you my dear Barbara. That is so sweet of you. I also find you very understandable and a caring person. I would like to take a day off one day and read your entire blog on wordpress. I know I am missing that a lot.Take care my dear.
Sweta Christian Licensed Physical Therapist. sweeta293@hotmail.com
> Date: Fri, 1 Feb 2013 05:45:49 +0000 > To: sweeta293@hotmail.com >