Assessment #2- UNCC300

Global health concerns related to socio-economic status.

In todays media we see presidents and prime ministers all over the world
vowing to pour millions into their countries healthcare and yet, the divide
between high and low income earners and the effect this has on their life
expectancies is still a major issue. Why should the amount of zeros on your
pay check determine the level of care you receive towards your health? Why is
there such an enormous waiting list in public hospitals? If these issues are
addressed will the statistics increase/decrease? The theme to this article is to
challenge ones thinking in realising the common good in the health community
both locally and internationally.
Undoubtedly medicine has advanced throughout the years and has led to the
decrease in morbidities and mortality rates, and an increase in the average life
expectancy and enhanced the quality of life for individuals living both locally
and globally, continually improving the common good of all. With this being
said there should always be a focus on improvement. The world health
organization (WHO), noted remarkable increases in life expectancy of up to 9
years with females born between 1990 and 2012 and males respectively
improving their expectancy by 6years, however they also acknowledged health
disparity gaps which were persistent between developed and developing
countries.
Government bodies and organizations such as WHO primarily facilitate in the
prevention and control of certain diseases, assist in developing health services,
increasing environmental health and promoting health education. The above
initiatives are a positive start but these facilities cannot be reached by all so it
is our duty to raise awareness of these concerns.
Admittedly as an Australian we have facilities such as Medicare to fall back on
but with the increasing population the government is cutting back on these
facilities and bringing in long waiting times for our public health system. This
includes admissions into our Emergency Departments (ED) and lowering the
pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS). People with concession cards may not
feel the changes in the system however an average Australian family with duel
working parents and school aged children may feel the pinch and forgo what
they deem as un-necessary medical treatment due to financial struggles. This
in turn is seen on a much larger scale in developing countries where the ratio
of low to high income earners is much more evident. The outbreak of the Zika
and Ebola virus witnessed in West Africa and Latin America pinpoint that poor
and vulnerable populations were affected the most. The rights to clean
drinking water, nutritious food, education and healthcare should be of the
utmost concern to all those worldwide. This is not the responsibility of world
leaders but of all mankind.
We live in the 21st century, so why is there still such a great divide? With all the
international organizations out there why does our socio-economic status still
dictate what care we receive. Im not insinuating that we blame the rich people
in our society but I do believe that there is inequality and as a human being it is
our responsibility to fight for the common good of everyone. A term we were
all introduced to through the catholic teachings include; Ubuntu an intricate
term basically translated to I am, because you are embodies the idea of
connection, community and mutual caring for all, something that the whole
world should aspire to achieving.
As an ordinary person living a pretty ordinary life Im not about to change the
world alone, but if this article has made even one person question the
inequality of ascertaining healthcare due to education, socioeconomic status
or the country they reside in, than Ive highlighted that the common good can
be achieved when everyone works together to improve the wellbeing of all
people on an international scale.

REFERENCES:
Australian Government Private Health Insurance Ombudsman. (n.d.).
What is covered by Medicare. Retrieved from
http://www.privatehealth.gov.au/healthinsurance/whatiscovered/medi
care.htm
Australian institute of health and welfare. (2017). Socio-economic
disadvantage and health. Retrieved from http://www.aihw.gov.au/socio-
economic-disadvantage-and-health/
Buseh, A. G. (2017). Overview & summary: emerging global health
concerns: how nurses respond. The online journal of issues in nursing,
22(1). doi:10.3912