What Can Nurses Do?
Many people, most of them in tropical countries of the Third World, die of preventable, curable diseases. . . . Malaria, tuberculosis, acute lower-respiratory infections—in 1998, these claimed 6.1 million lives. People died because the drugs to treat those illnesses are nonexistent or are no longer effective. They died because it doesn’t pay to keep them alive.
–Ken Silverstein, Millions for Viagra. Pennies for Diseases of the Poor, The Nation, July 19, 1999
Unfortunately, since 1998, little has changed. For many individuals living in impoverished underdeveloped countries, even basic medical care is difficult to obtain. Although international agencies sponsor outreach programs and corporations, and although nonprofit organizations donate goods and services, the level of health care remains far below what is necessary to meet the needs of struggling populations. Polluted water supplies, unsanitary conditions, and poor nutrition only exacerbate the poor health prevalent in these environments. Nurses working in developed nations have many opportunities/advantages that typically are not available to those in underdeveloped countries. What can nurses do to support their international colleagues and advocate for the poor and underserved of the world?
In this Discussion, you will consider the challenges of providing health care for the world’s neediest citizens, as well as how nurses can advocate for these citizens.
To prepare:
• Consider the challenges of providing health care in underdeveloped countries.
• Conduct research in the Walden Library and other reliable resources to determine strategies being used to address these challenges.
• Using this week’s Learning Resources, note the factors that impact the ability of individuals in underdeveloped nations to obtain adequate health care.
• Consider strategies nurses can use to advocate for health care at the global level. What can one nurse do to make a difference?
Post
A description of at least two challenges related to providing adequate health care in underdeveloped countries. Then, describe two strategies you might use to address those challenges, and explain why. Finally, describe one strategy nurses might use in advocating for health care at the global level, and explain why this would be an effective strategy.
Kovner, A. R., & Knickman, J. R. (Eds.). (2011). Health care delivery in the United States (Laureate Education, Inc., custom ed.). New York, NY: Springer Publishing.
Bloch, G., Rozmovits, L., & Giambrone, B. (2011). Barriers to primary care responsiveness to poverty as a risk factor for health. BMC Family Practice, 12(1), 62–67.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
This article details a qualitative study that was conducted to explore the barriers to primary care responsiveness to poverty. The authors explicate a variety of health impacts attributable to poverty.
Koplan, J. P., Bond, C., Merson, M. H., Reddy, K. S., Rodriquez, M. H., Sewankambo, N. K., & Wasserheit, J. N. (2009). Towards a common definition of global health. The Lancet, 373, 1993–1995. Retrieved from http://www(dot)cfhi(dot)org/web/fckeditor/uploaded/File/publications/intro%20page%20links/Toward%20a%20Definition%20of%20GH%20June%202009PracticalGlobal%20PublicHealth.pdf
This article provides a full description of the components that comprise global health care in detail.
Gapminder. (2011). Retrieved from http://www(dot)gapminder(dot)org
What Nurses Can Do
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An equitable health care service in some of developing countries is just another illusion. Most of the population does not have the right health care services that they need, when they need and where they need it. One of the main challenges that these under developed countries are facing with reference to health care delivery is poverty. More than 1.2 billion people according to the World Health Organization live in deplorable conditions (Who.int, 2014). Due to the fact that these people cannot afford basic and decent living conditions, such as clean water, quality shelters and nutritional foods as well as sanitation. The second most common challenge is the poor quality public health care that most of the patients are accorded. Where public health services are available, the quality of health services offered are substandard. Public health centers have been marred with staff pilfering medical supplies, hostile staff, absenteeism, unprofessional care, inadequate facilities, medicine and equipments. These are challenges that are quite rife in the rural areas (Bloch, Rozmovits & Giambrone, 2011).
As a nurse, there are ways in which these problems can be resolved. One of the main solutions to the poverty stricken areas is forming up non-governmental organizations, composed of nurses and other relevant medical teams. Surveys of the areas that are most affected can then be carried out to assess the severity ((Bloch, Rozmovits & Giambrone, 2011)). Specific diseases can then be identified which can be addressed fast and most...