Research Paper on Healthcare and Poverty

Introduction

The purpose of this paper is to provide an analysis of how poverty affects access to quality healthcare based on reviews of five journals. In most countries, many people continue to suffer in silence because of lacking the financial means to afford quality healthcare. While some people may argue that it is developing countries' problems, the articles show that the problem exists in developed countries. Therefore, this paper provides brief summaries of the articles, understanding of the relationship between healthcare and poverty based on the results in the articles, analysis of the findings, available healthcare services organization that help in ensuring equal access to healthcare, conclusions, and possible solutions.

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Brief Summary

Hamiduzzaman, De Bellis, Kalaitzidis and Abigail conducted a study on issues that affect access to healthcare by senior women in Bangladesh. Admittedly, Bangladesh is among the poorest countries and the highest inequalities in access to healthcare. The background study showed that senior women are frequently affected by chronical illnesses. Through content analysis, they analyzed literature on the issues that influence access to healthcare by senior women. The findings show that cultural and socio-economic conditions like teenage pregnancies, dependency on males and families, early deprivation of adequate health care and food, and misappropriation of funds negatively affected access to healthcare by senior women in Bangladesh (Hamiduzzaman, De Billis & Abigail, 2016). Therefore, the authors conclude that the factors influence the planning and financing of health care at both institutional and individual levels. Further, the findings show that public and private domains need to ensure the well-being of senior women in Bangladesh through improving access and quality of healthcare.

Meyer-Weitz, Oppong Asante, and Lukobeka examined a caregiver's perspective on healthcare service delivery to refugee children living in South Africa and Durban from the democratic republic of Congo. The background of the study showed that refugees' children generally experience challenges in accessing quality healthcare services. Through a mixed method research design, the researchers used a sample of 120 participants to be involved in the survey. Additionally, they conducted in-depth-interviews to get elaborate information regarding the quantitative data. The results showed that 74% of the caregivers accessed health services for their children from public healthcare facilities. Also, 95% of them reported dissatisfaction in the in healthcare delivery (Meyer-Weitz, Oppong Asante & Lukobeka, 2018). They explained that they were dissatisfied because of negative attitude towards refuges among healthcare workers and long waiting hours. Therefore, the researchers conclude that the attitude of healthcare professionals when attending to refugees needs to be addressed.

Ridaya Raj Devkota, Emily Murray, Maria Kett, and Groce examined how vulnerabilities like disabilities affect access to maternal healthcare. In the background study, the authors acknowledge that vulnerable groups have less access to healthcare. They used mixed-research data collection methods like in-depth interviews and cross-sectional surveys on 354 women. Similarly, they also bivariate and statistical analysis to examine the quantitative data (Devkota, Murray, Kett & Groce, 2018).The results show that 70% of both women with and without disabilities have to walk a distance of 30 minutes to access the nearest healthcare facility. Also, the results show that there is an uneven distribution of healthcare facilities concerning road transport. Further, all the facilities examined did not have convenience for people with disabilities. As such, the authors conclude that vulnerable groups experience challenges in accessing maternal services.

In his article, Yacobou Sanoussi analyses how low and middle-income people experience challenges in accessing maternal and child healthcare. He used the Human Opportunity Index to measure how factors like sex, households, and geographic issues affect how one accesses services that are supposed to be universal. He used five indicators to determine as indicators of access to healthcare in Togo. He examined being born in a private or public facility, vaccinations, prenatal care access, access to qualified staff to give prenatal care, and access to not less than four antenatal visits (Sanoussi, 2017). After two years of examining variations of the determinant factors across two years, the findings show that among the six indicators, inequality of opportunities decreased for four indicators. However, the disparity in access to qualified healthcare staff decreased, and adequate care declined. As such, the author concludes that the average coverage and access to quality healthcare affect primary health care for children and mothers.

Yearby conducted a study on how structural racing in wages and employment affect women's health in minority groups. In the background study, the author establishes that structural racism has created inequalities in wages and employment in the United States hence affecting the delivery of healthcare. Consequently, there are economic disparities. Therefore, the author uses the Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) to address factors like poverty and unemployment concerning structural racism (Yearby, 2018). The findings show that most minority women like African-Americans are hired in low-paying jobs like childcare, waitressing, cleaning, or teaching. Consequently, despite the implementation of the Affordable Health Care Act, the existence of structural racism still make women from minority groups to live in poverty hence unequal access to quality healthcare. It is because they receive wages barely enough to cater for basic needs. Therefore, they cannot do not have access to healthcare insurance nor can they afford for incur the cost of healthcare.

Understanding the Problem

The review of the articles above reveals that there is a relationship between access to quality healthcare and poverty. As such, poverty negatively influences access to quality healthcare. Some of the factors that affect health care access include age, gender, income, employment, vulnerabilities, and structural racism. An analysis of the access to health care among senior women shows that most of them die of chronic illnesses that can be prevented or adequately monitored. Similarly, most women, especially those living in rural areas, experience challenges in accessing desired healthcare because of disparities in the allocation of healthcare resources between public and private facilities.

Similarly, an analysis of income shows that people who are reasonably and sufficiently compensated have accessed to quality healthcare. However, people who earn middle or low income still experience challenges in getting sustainable healthcare services. In the same way, people who are not employed are subjected to public hospitals that provide poor services and have professionals that have a negative attitude towards patients. Further, the article reviews show that vulnerable groups are at high risk of diseases and avoidable deaths because they are discriminated in the delivery of healthcare (Yearby, 2018). For example, most institutions, especially in the developing nations, lack building structures that are friendly to people with disabilities.

Analysis of the policy issues shows that developed nations have made steps in bridging the gap in access to healthcare. For example, the U.S implements the Affordable Healthcare Act which makes health care services available and affordable to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion or age. However, the developing nations lack significant measures to improve the status of access to healthcare.

Analysis

The findings of the studies confirm my understanding that poverty negatively affects access to healthcare services. The results help in making conclusions on health care and poverty in two ways. The first way is that the cycle of poverty and poor health in developing countries creates disparities in healthcare delivery. The second way is that institutional problem in developed countries creates disparities in access to health care based on employment, income, vulnerability, and race.

I agree with the findings on the developing nations like Bangladesh and Togo which show that both elderly and young women experience challenges in accessing quality health care because of preceding factors like early marriages, lack of access to basic education, dependence on men and families, deprivation of food and quality care, and misappropriation of funds (Devkota et al., 2018). Therefore, although there may be changes in health care policies, the stakeholders need to address the challenges in the above areas to improve healthcare.

Also, I agree with the presentations of health care status in the developing world. Although there are available resources to ensure quality healthcare, people still experience challenges because of issues like institutional racism that discriminate against people from minority groups in income and covering health insurance ((Meyer-Weitz et al., 2018). Therefore, despite implementing health equality policies like the Affordable Healthcare Act like the U.S, people still face challenges because of issues associated with poverty like race and being refugees.

Services Available

The Doctors without Borders Organization has its quarters in the United States (https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/who-we-are/how-we-work/types-projects). It responds to healthcare emergencies in conflict zones, areas affected by natural disasters and epidemics, and long-term care settings. Additionally, it partners with other organizations to provide drugs to people with neglected diseases. Although it is based in the US, it has networks in Geneva, African countries, and Asia. For example, during the Tsunami in the country, the organization sent a mission to help in evacuations. Similarly, in the Central African Republic, they provided screening services 4,534 people in 2012.

Health Poverty Action organization (https://www.healthpovertyaction.org/about-us/) approaches health as social justice. It is based in southern Afghanistan. Furthermore, it also provides services in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It prioritizes making healthcare available to people who are less privilege like people with disabilities, low-income, and minorities. They provide services like nutrition, immunization, water, sanitation, and income-generating services. Additionally, it publishes research on HIV and AIDS, Poverty and health, and the determinants of healthcare.

Conclusions and Proposed Solutions

In conclusion, the purpose of this paper was to provide a review of journal articles on health and poverty. A review of the five journal articles has established that there are variations in access to health care services because of poverty. Also, the findings show that the problem exists both in developing and developed countries despite the latter implementing policies like Affordable Healthcare Acts. Therefore, this study recommends that governments and related institutions should approach health care as social justice. It will ensure that everyone access dignified healthcare services regardless of income, employment, gender, disability, age or race. Similarly, recruitment departments and agencies related to hiring healthcare professionals should be diligent in assessing the attitude of candidates to ensure that it is suitable for providing quality healthcare. Further, should form partnerships with private health care providers to ensure even distribution of healthcare facilities and resources.

References

Devkota, H. R., Mur...