Healthcare in South Africa

In South Africa, AIDS is one of the top causes of death. South Africa has the biggest AIDS/HIV epidemic in the world because of violence against women, poverty, and lack of education. Given this, “Africans account for nearly 70% of those who live with HIV and are dying of AIDS” (Morgenstern, Dr. Michael).

In our world each country has a set of standards to follow in order to establish health care insurance for people in different communities. The state contributes about 40% of all the expenditures on health while the public health sector delivers 80% of the population. Many resources are concentrated in the private health sector. These resources see to the health needs of the remaining 20% of the population. Public health consumes around 11% of the government’s total budget. The way the resources are allotted, and the standard of health care delivered, varies from country to country. Although there are similarities between South Africa and the United States regarding healthcare, South Africa remains at a lower

Health has been influenced by many factors such as poor health status, disease risk factors, and limited access to healthcare. All these factors are due to social, economic and environmental disadvantages. According to the World Organization (WHO) (2015), “the social determinants of health are mostly responsible for health inequities, which is the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries”

I assume that in today’s world, there is a lot of information and scholarly research available that shows factors such as economic status, income, social situations, education, ethnicity, employment, availability of affordable housing and geographical (place where one was born and lives) conditions have a tremendous impact on the health and well-being of individuals, countries and communities (Amaro, 2014). Inequalities in health and well-being are created by social determinants and economic conditions for many in our community (Brannigan &Boss). The people that are affected the most are people with low income and minority groups here in the United States. This creates health disparities and unequal care (Brannigan &Boss). In many developing and under-developed countries, the situation is dire: lack of modern health services, illiteracy, poor economic conditions has created a cultural situation of desperation and unhealthy behaviors. Corruption by African governments is rampant. To improve the health and wellbeing of communities, we need to start thinking of how we can create a culture of health.

These disparities are obvious in some key measures of wellbeing including life expectancy, the risk for disease, and access to health care (Disparities in Health, 2015). Historically, the major factors contributing to shorter longevity and high rates of disease are overcrowding, poor sanitation and low availability of treatment facilities. However, the change of theses socioeconomic

It is clear that South Africa’s changes in treatment and attitude of HIV/AIDS has moved the nation forward as a whole. Although there has been much progress made, “About 3.5 million South Africans still are not getting therapy, and many wait to long to come in to clinics or don’t stay on the drugs” (Lubock 17). Improvements on clinics will continue to be made throughout the country and the new “three-in-one” treatment tablet should prove effective within the next year for more modern and cost effective treatment and prevention for pregnant mothers. World AIDS Day has proved to be a powerful day for the future of South Africa as a nation.

In Conclusion, the age of population is one of the challenges the United States faces. In this paper it was discussed how the demographics may have an impact on the health care market, how changes will affect health care such as increase in health care cost and increase in prescription drug cost. The ageing process will not stop therefore the population will continue to increase in the next

Maternal mortality represents more than the loss of lives for individual women, as it also reflects the larger value and prioritization of women 's health and threatens the health and survival of families, young children, and even the communities in which they live (Royston and Armstrong, 1989). Maternal mortality is unacceptably high (WHO, 2015b). Globally, approximately 830 women die every day from pregnancy- or childbirth-related complications (ibid.). The causes of maternal mortality are predominately preventable and can be classified into three fundamental causes: (1) medical - consisting of direct medical problems and pre-existent/coexistent medical problems that are aggravated by pregnancy, (2) underlying - social and legal conditions, and (3) health systems laws and policies that address availability, accessibility, and quality of reproductive health services (PHP et al, 2011).

Health and social justice have continued to be a major problem that affects the way people live and chance of illness, and consequent risk of premature death. The recent report from the World Health Organization shows that health disparities have continued to persist within and among countries and different regions of the world. For example, infectious diseases and undernutrition are common in poor and developing countries (WHO, 2018). The gap is even much worse between the rural and urban dwellers because of the economic differences and availability of healthcare services. Although some of the developed nations have attempted

South Africans have been struggling with access to medical care for many decades. The root of the problem of access to medical care in South Africa is mainly attributed to the poverty located in the region. Many living in poverty suffer from inadequate resources such as a lack of clean water, malnourishment, lack of effective sanitation, and unreasonable housing conditions. South Africans living in urban areas are more likely to receive better healthcare services than those in rural and remote regions. Sickness in South Africa has been an ongoing issue due to their history of persistent racial inequality, inadequate human resources, and the relentless burden of infections and noninfectious diseases. Proposals to improve the current system include increasing government funding to build hospitals, especially in rural areas, strengthening the public sector of the current healthcare system by utilizing the services of the private sector, improving the

As mentioned above, the spread of disease from mother to child was becoming an increasing problem in South Africa: by 2000, the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women had risen to nearly 21%; one rural

The residents of Africa are suffering from preventable, treatable, and fatal diseases everyday at a higher rate compared to developed countries. The healthcare crisis in Africa is the primary cause of all these deaths, and includes inefficient healthcare systems. Consequently, African's inefficient healthcare systems results in poor delivery of care and a shortage of health professionals. The healthcare crisis in Africa is a current issue impacting the lives of many African's who don't have the same access to resources as developed countries such as the United States. These resources can save the lives of many African's dying of preventable and curable disease, and understanding why the African continent has little access to them

Health care will be needed more in the older population than any other. The old age is growing continuously. There are more of the older adults today than babies. Older adults are more likely to have a long-term illness. During the 80’s the government said they were no longer able to pay for health care. This resulted in eligibility and limits in paying off the payments. If limits continue to be present, this can result in the poor and older people to face untreated illnesses and have a higher risk of death. Physicians are mainly trained to watch over the youth meaning the less interest in helping the older adults. The older population will be neglected and can be mis-diagnosed. Those who also have lack of transportation will also end up with inadequate care.

Around the world, many wealthy nations provide universal health care to their citizens (excluding the USA). Countries like Canada, the UK and France are prime examples. They provide well thought out services to their citizens and ensure them to obtain the health care they require for any medical reason need be. While some countries are grateful, or maybe even take for granted of the health care they receive, undeveloped nations struggle to find the care they need. Health provision is challenging in these countries due to political, economic and environmental conditions. In order for a nation to live within environmental limits, they should ensure they have a strong and healthy society, but in order to obtain such success a sustainable economy plays a key role. Africa is a prime example to use when discussing the environmental causes that affect one 's health. Africa has a widespread list of environmental impacts that considered it unsafe to numerous living standards. Not only unsafe, but the citizens are prone to an abundance of diseases such as Ebola. With a low economy, such as Africa, the finance to provide health care and increase life expectancy does not exist. Hospitals also have trouble finding properly trained and educated staff to be able to take care of all the people requiring medical attention. Geographic 's majorly affects people 's health, but economics is a priority when it comes to health care services. People who do not receive the health care they required

This idea is addressed within Binyavanga Wainaina’s “How to Write About Africa,” in which he satirically directs another to “treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving” (p.92). Wainaina’s point isn’t one of a figmentation, it reflects the way that misguided ideas about a hegemonic Africa have been disseminated. When addressed in respect to health care, this example shows as a reminder that Africa is a large continent, with various communities and networks of