Tracy Kidder’s Mountains Beyond Mountains “The only real nation is humanity” (Farmer 123). This quote represents a huge message that is received in, Tracy Kidder’s, Mountains Beyond Mountains. This book argues that universal healthcare is a right and not a privilege. Kidder’s book also shows the audience that every individual, no matter what the circumstances, is entitled to receive quality health care. In the book Kidder represents, Paul Farmer, a man who spends his entire life determined to improve the health care of impoverished areas around the world, namely Haiti, one of the poorest nations in the world. By doing this the audience learns of the horrible circumstances, and the lack of quality health care that nations like Haiti live with everyday, why every person has the right to healthcare no matter what, and how cost effectiveness should not determine whether or not these people get to live or die. Two texts that also argue this idea are Monte Leach’s “Ensuring Health Care as a Global Human Right,” and Darshak Sanghavi’s “Is it Cost Effective to Treat the World’s Poor.” Leach’s article is an interview with Benjamin Crème that illustrates why food, shelter, education, and healthcare are human rights that have to be available to everyone. He shares many of the same views on health care as Farmer, and the two also share similar solutions to this ongoing problem. Leach also talks about the rapidly growing aids epidemic, and how it must be stopped. Like farmer, he also argues that it is easier to prevent these diseases then to cure them. Furthermore, Sanghavi’s article represents many of the questions that people would ask about cost effectiveness. Yet similar to Farmer’s views, Sanghavi argues that letting the poor d... ... middle of paper ... ...and just like Kidder argues that it in no way justifies letting the poor die. 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.
The population of a community is vital to ensure that the needs of that community are met. A greater population allows for a larger vote in a democracy meaning a higher probability of attaining what that population wants. Indigenous communities were left hopeless when European settlers took over and slashed the numbers of their community making it impossible for them to ever overpower the Canadian government. The book “Clearing the Plains” by James Daschuk explains this critical period of time in which the population of Indigenous people dwindled based on the political, economic and ecological circumstances that were evident creating a society where Indigenous people lost their say, however Daschuk fails to mention the effects this population deflation has on society today and the racism that our society has perpetrated on Indigenous people.
There are many ways in which we can view the history of the American West. One view is the popular story of Cowboys and Indians. It is a grand story filled with adventure, excitement and gold. Another perspective is one of the Native Plains Indians and the rich histories that spanned thousands of years before white discovery and settlement. Elliot West’s book, Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers and the Rush to Colorado, offers a view into both of these worlds. West shows how the histories of both nations intertwine, relate and clash all while dealing with complex geological and environmental challenges. West argues that an understanding of the settling of the Great Plains must come from a deeper understanding, a more thorough knowledge of what came before the white settlers; “I came to believe that the dramatic, amusing, appalling, wondrous, despicable and heroic years of the mid-nineteenth century have to be seen to some degree in the context of the 120 centuries before them” .
There are people existing among us with a special trait or characteristic that makes them stand out above the masses. They are “heroes” in a sense, who perform great acts of sacrifice and promote hope when it seems that the last drop of faith has evaporated from one’s soul. These individuals remind us of saints who walked before us, healing and caring for the sick and destitute when no other man dared. Author, Tracy Kidder (2004), brings to the forefront the noble deeds of a modern day saint, Paul Farmer, through his writing in Mountains Beyond Mountains. He illustrates how a single man can lead nations toward healing, even in the midst of war, turmoil, limited resources, or “mountains” of bureaucratic red tape. Although the book tells a story about Farmer’s life, academic achievements, and global contributions toward curing infectious diseases, the main theme, as illustrated by the book title, is that no matter what a person does, there is always more to be done. Beyond the hills and valleys of Farmer’s journey, Kidder (2004) provides scenes of leadership styles along the way. Is a leader born or is leadership learned? A review of Paul Farmer’s mission, through the eyes of the author, may provide insight to support both philosophies.
Some issues hinder on each other and shall be resolved prior to creating better outcomes for other issues. Health care is a revolving door and takes impact on each of us in many ways, the most important factor and focus in the financial aspects and burdens that it creates, in which all of these issues have a high capacity impact on the U.S. healthcare system. One of the number one issues is analyzing the cost and funding of what all of this issues result in. Pertaining to the Millennium Development Goal the number one goals revolves around poverty and hunger. This has been an issue for as long as I can remember. The cost of living expenses resolves around the main agenda here. Every day, every year the cost of everything goes up, so making it harder for millions of people in every country to survive. One of the biggest obstacles here is the cost of Healthcare. One of the issues for an example with Omaba’s new health care reform act personally- My husband carries health care insurance for our two children and himself, carry my own healthcare insurance for myself through my employees as it makes financial since for us, but however if my husband would ever lose his job financial it would we have not income coming in anymore, as my employers premiums are well above what I make, there for it would make more since for myself to quit my job. We would do not qualify for Omaba care as my employer offers health care insurance. Therefore I don’t see how Omaba’s new health care reform act does not help everyone, but can put them in a more financial distress then
...about today’s health care and the government system. Not all countries around the world have the right to health care such as parts of Asia, Africa and United States. It’s important for people to have good health care. In United States you have to pay for health care such as surgeries and clinic visits where as in Canada you do not. If people all around the world cannot get good health care, it can possibly lead us to a dystopian society.
In the book “Mountains beyond Mountains,” Tracy Kidder narrators her adventures in Haiti, following Dr. Paul Farmer. Farmer is a MD who graduated from Harvard Medical school, earned his PhD in anthropology, and is currently on his journey to “cure the world.” When Farmer learned about diseases such as HIV, AIDS, and tuberculosis (TB), that plagued Haiti, he knew he needed to help. Farmer learns Haiti’s native language, Creole, and explores the impoverished towns until he finds the most desolate: Cange. He builds a clinic in Cange, using funding from successful business owner, Tom White, and begins his process of eradicating the most vicious diseases in Cange. Farmer flies back and forth from Brigham Hospital in Boston to Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Swartz, K. (2009). Health care for the poor: for whom, what care, and whose responsibility?
Health care in the United States is a booming topic that everyone seems to have their own opinion on, but are the health care companies really interested in making the world a healthier place or are they more interested in making money? This is a growing social problem in not only the United States but the world. The social problems that are arising from health care are the growing pharmaceutical problems, the issue on overmedication, and the issue surrounding privatized hospitals. These social problems have been growing for decades and it is finally time to stop them.
After reading the book Mountains Beyond Mountains, by Tracy Kidder, and watching an interview from Time Magazine on Paul Farmer, viewers will recognize common themes that Paul Farmer conveys throughout the book and interview. The themes embraced throughout are bringing health care to impoverished nations, spreading awareness of new diseases, and not giving up on the nations or patients.
“If you look at the human condition today, not everyone is well fed, has access to good medical care, or the physical basics that provide for a healthy and a happy life.” This quote by Ralph Merkle shows that something so easily taken for granted is healthcare. Most of us wouldn’t even think about it as a privilege, something that has just always been there and always will. In America, we would never even imagine not being able to receive medical care in our times of need, in other countries that is not at all the case. Many will die from easily preventable and treatable diseases because they do not have medical care. The charity Doctors of the World is committed to helping those who do not have easy access to medical care
Farmer, Paul. Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Right, and the New war on the Poor.
Right to health is one of the basic human rights without distinction of ethnicity, religion, race or socio-economic conditions. As a consequence, all of people have the same right to the highest attainable standards of health both physically and mentally including access to various medical services with affordable and proper quality (WHO, 2008). Furthermore, the government should ensure the availability of health facilities to improve health conditions for all citizens. In fact, disparities in access to health services often occur in many countries (Barten, Mitlin, Mulholland, Hardoy, & Stern, 2007). One of the main factors that trigger such
Access to health care in Ethiopia has left many people without proper health care and eventual death. Millions of people living in Ethiopia die because of the lack of access to the health care system; improving the access to the healthcare system in Ethiopia can prevent many of the deaths that occur, but doing so will pose a grueling and challenging task. According to Chaya (2012), poor health coverage is of particular concern in rural Ethiopia, where access to any type of modern health institution is limited at best (p. 1). If citizen of Ethiopia had more accessibility of the healthcare system more individuals could be taught how to practice safe health practices. In Ethiopia where HIV, and maternal and infant mortality rates are sky high, more education on the importance of using the healthcare system and makin...
Nearly 50,000 people, including 30,000 children, die each day due to poverty-related problems and preventable disease in underdeveloped Countries. That doesn’t include the other millions of people who are infected with AIDS and other incurable diseases. Especially those living in Sub-Saharan Africa (70%), or “the Third-World,” and while we fight to finish our homework, children in Africa fight to survive without food, or clean water. During the next few paragraphs I will give proof that poverty and disease are the two greatest challenges facing under developed countries.
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 ...