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Policies in health and social care settings
Quiz on health policy
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HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IN JAMAICA INTRODUCTION Health policy refers to decisions, plans and actions used by governments in achieving specific health care goals within society. A health policy often can be defined as a vision for the future, which can help to establish targets and points of reference for the short and medium term (http://www.who.int). Jamaica is an island situated in the West Indies 90miles south of Cuba that has been classified as a country of medium human development. In 2012 the current estimated population stands at 2,889,187, growth rate 1714%, birth rate 18.89/1000, infant mortality 14.3/1000 and life expectancy 73.43(www.infoplease.com). The capacity of the state of Jamaica in providing social services, and supporting infrastructure, has been reduced due to the lack of financial and economic problems (www.sidsnet.org). So within this report it will discuss the key aspects of the health policy in Jamaica, and the views of the impact on the health population. In order to address these issues it will include a rationale, evidence, a structured analysis of the health care system, and the pressures on the health care system. RATIONALE The reason why this country has been chosen to undergo this report is because it’s a third world country with a high mortality rate. By analysing this country it will give me a better insight into the why the mortality rates are high, and how the healthcare system in the country is trying to reduce this with the use of strategies in reforming all health areas within the population. Jamaica has been aware of the strategic value of health, for transforming and reconstructing the landscape of the country. In order for these strategies to be put into prospective they looked into the h... ... middle of paper ... ...ine_and_health. Last accessed 09 May 2014. The Health Sector Task Force . (2009). Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan. Available: http://www.vision2030.gov.jm/Portals/0/Sector_Plan/Microsoft%20Word%20-%20Health.pdf. Last accessed 12/05/2014. World Health Organisation. (2010). Jamaica Country Cooperation Strategies 2010-2015. Available: http://www.who.int/countryfocus/cooperation_strategy/jamaicaccs2010.pdf. Last accessed 10 May 2014. World Health Organisation. (2014). Health Policy. Avalable: http://www.who.int/topics/health_policy/en/. Last accessed 10 May 2014. Ferguson, F. (2014). Minister of Health. Available: http://www.commonwealthhealth.org/americas/jamaica/. Last accessed 11/05/2014. Ministry of Health. (2005). National HIV/AIDS Policy Jamaica . Available: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/population/aids/jamaica.aids.05.pdf. Last accessed 10/05/2014.
Jamaican heath care is very poor. There is only one small hospital for every parish. There are about three dozen hospitals or clinics on the island, but most are not reliable because of the violent crimes that consume the hospitals and most are overpopulated. Because of this, most people die at young ages.
Rabinowitz, P., (2014). Work Group for Community Health and Developmen Retrieved January 25, 2014 from Internet http://ctb.ku.edu/en/table-of-contents/participation/encouraging-involvement/identify-stakeholders/powerpoint
Public health by its very definition emphasizes public classification over the individual body. Its basic goal is to establish effective general health services that meet the minimum health requirements for a majority of people. With this general goal in mind, there are two major assumptions made within the formation of public ...
The healthcare of the poor in the US can provide information that can be useful in Haiti’s public health crisis. In specific, the inequalities and poverty that the poor have to face in the US can provide framework for Haiti’s public health crisis. Farmer discusses how medical treatment can be expensive for poor Americans, especially since there have been numerous advances in biomedicine that make treatment quite expensive. If poor Americans cannot afford access to treatment, then it is nearly impossible for Haitians to be able to experience quality care either. In the US, tuberculosis is common in homeless shelters and in prison, which tend to be crowded areas. In Haiti, tuberculosis is also common mainly because families tend to live together and interact with each other frequently (e.g., Annette Jean and her family). Since there are commonalities in both the US and Haiti, Haiti’s health crisis may be solved by applying strategies that allow the US poor to access quality healthcare. The US has the money to try different strategies, while Haiti does
Studies had shown that, racial disparities, political and socioeconomic status are one of the most determinants of the use of preventive services. Whereas, public programs of international development agencies during this period were also targeting means of eradicating specific diseases such as malaria, cholera, yaws, smallpox, influenza, cancer and the like. After several years of investment in the vertical interventions, preventable diseases remained a major challenge. Therefore, the international health agencies including experts around the globe began examining other alternative approaches to health improvement which brought ‘’health for all’’ through World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to practioners and the global health planners at the International conference on primary health care in Alma Ata in Kazakhstan. Relative to this, the conference also intended to revolutionize and reform previous health
In conclusion, the ultimate significance to this type of work is to improve the quality of healthcare in these extremely impoverished nations. This argument is represented in Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains, Monte Leach’s “Ensuring Health Care as a Global Human Right”, and Darshark Sanghavi’s “Is it Cost Effective to Treat the World’s Poor.” The idea that universal healthcare is a human right is argued against in Michael F. Cannon’s “A “Right” to health care?” Cannon claims that it would not work, and fills the holes that the other authors leave in their arguments. All of these articles share the same ultimate goal, and that is to provide every individual with adequate health care, and to not let so many people die from things that could easily have been prevented or treated.
Marmot in his famous article titled Social Determinants of Health Inequalities firmly stated that actions targeted to improve healthcare access should not be focused only on healthcare system but rather on the social determinants of health. Marmot reiterated that health inequalities, disparities and social determinants of health are totally preventable through more inclusive wider social policies. He insists that inequalities of health between and within geographical areas can be reduced through positive actions.3 And such actions should be focused towards improving the social determinants of health in all areas to give everyone equal access to healthcare services.2-3 Explaining that lack of healthcare access are driven by SDOH, Marmot further argues that health cannot be improved by itself alone, but by enhancing those factors that determine health.
National health systems are assessed by the extent to which expenditure and actions in public health and medical care contributes to the crucial social goals of improving health, increasing access to quality healthcare, reducing health disparities, protecting citizens from penury due to medical e...
World Health Organization. (1986, November 21). The Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. Retrieved on February 23, 2013, from http://www.who.int/healthpromotion/conferences/previous/ottawa/en/index1.html.
In many parts of the world that are considered lower or middle-class countries, health disparities are cause of major concern that leads to unnecessary disease and possible death. Many variables affect how and why many citizens of lower and middle-class countries struggle to obtain adequate healthcare. One region of the world classified as a lower socio economic territory is Ethiopia. Many factors contribute to the lack of health care in Ethiopia such as access to care, high cost of care, and being uneducated, to name a few. One idea that hinders many citizens in Ethiopia to attain healthcare is the access to the healthcare system. This research project will entail the issue of access to the health care system; ways it is affecting the lives of those living in Ethiopia, and measures that can be taken to possibly increase the availability and attainment of healthcare.
...on, race, and political belief, economic or social condition. Improving the poor health of disadvantaged individuals and reducing health gaps is important but not enough to level up health through socioeconomic groups. The objective of tackling health inequalities can be changed to local needs and priorities of a community allowing wide-ranging partnerships of support to be organised. However it needs to be made clear that what can be done to help improve the life chances and health prospects of individuals living in poverty may not come close to bringing their health prospects closer to the average of the rest of the population or prevent the gap living on throughout the generations. Being clear about what is trying to be overcome and achieved needs upmost importance in the development and delivery of policies that will promote health equality across the population.
Public Health Nursing (PHN) aims to improve the wellbeing of the population by promoting health and preventing disease among all people in the communities (Public Health Nursing, 2013). The PHN utilizes the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention to help improve the health of the communities. The PHN process is applied to all levels of practice. Interventions are “actions take on behalf of individuals, families, systems, and communities to improve or protect health status” (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012, p. 191). This paper will identify PHN interventions such as screening, outreach, and referral and follow-up, health teaching, and counseling that was identified in the PHN in the 21st Century project that this author completed as part of the PHN experience. This paper will also identify if the interventions were at the community, system or individual/family level.
About 75% of health infrastructure, medical professionals and other health resources are localised in urban areas where 27% of the population live. The poor penetration and the basic nature of rural health is also attributed to lack of health litera...
London, England. The.. London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine n.d., Session 5: The role of the state. in global health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, England. Ricci J.
The Department of Global Health and population (GHP) diligently helps to improve health education, research, and finds new ways to help maintain and plan efficient ways to manage the world’s quickly growing population. The department’s research interests span a wide spectrum of topics, including social and economic development, health policy, and demography; design and financing of health care systems; women’s and children’s health; prevention and control of infectious and chronic diseases; and geographic information systems (GIS). The department has a special concern with questions of health equity and human rights, particularly in relation to health and population issues in developing countries. The department’s approach to these problems combines ...