At a clinical setting such as TC Newman CHC, you are exposed to various conditions and treat a diverse group of people. On one occasion at this specific placement, I walked down the passage and saw a prisoner, shackled hand and foot, accompanied by two correctional officers in the physiotherapy waiting area. Instinctively, human nature dictates and all sorts of thoughts and fears cloud my mind. Was this going to be my patient? Should I fear for my life? Are the other patients’ safety in jeopardy once the shackles are removed? Will my treatment be effective, beneficial and can I guarantee to be non-maleficent towards him and not infringe on his basic human rights.
According to the South African Human Rights Commission (1996), each individual has basic human rights that must not be infringed upon, such as
- the right to equality
- the right to human dignity
- the right to life
- the right to freedom and security
- the right to personal privacy
- freedom of expression
- freedom of association
- the right to education
- the right to citizenship
- the right to health care, food water and social security
Through the panic and fear, I took a breath, refocused and realized that even though this individual is incarcerated, regardless of his crime, he has the right to equality, health care and therefore can not be discriminated against based on his status. He also has the right to dignity which has to be respected. I had to be professional and treat this individual to the best of my ability causing no harm (non-maleficence) (Beauchamp & Childress, 2013). I had to be just towards him and not be prejudicial on the basis of his geographical location. I completed my session with the patient, rescheduling him for two more follow-up sessions (with myself) so that I could re-evaluate him and assess his compliance with the home exercise program that I provided.
References
Beauchamp, T. & Childress, J. (2013). Principles of biomedical ethics (7th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press
South African Human Rights Commission. (1996). 15 Basic human rights you should know. Retrieved October 08, 2018 from https://www.sahrc.org.za/index.php/sahrc-media/news/items/1262-15-basic-human-rights-you-should-know
3 thoughts on “Human Rights”
Hi Janice,
This was an interesting piece to read but I have some few questions and suggestions that I think will help you with your piece. During your session with your patient, how did you ensure that your right to safety and security was not be violated because you do not know the crime/s this individual has done? How did you ensure your own safe as a physiotherapy student was not compromised in the process?
This patient could have hold you hostage so that he can escape from the police. I’m not saying this individual is capable of such but It is a possibility. I think you should go in depth in your piece about how did you ensure your own rights were protected.
I suggest that you explore how that people feel about treating a similar patient (incarcerated) as yours , maybe they be have diffferent views. They might consider their own safety first before protecting the patients right.
Hello Janice
Your piece was informative and I enjoyed the fact that you let the reader know what was going on in your mind when you saw your patient. The emotions you felt at that moment.
You did the right thing by considering his rights as a human who is in need of your professional skills. I learned from this piece that you need to control your fears and not let your thoughts about the patient determine how he/she is treated, as you said we have equal rights to adequate health care services.
You can also look at some articles that talk about how you can also deal with having fear in patients and how we can morally treat them. You have mentioned but I think it is worth finding out more.
Overall, I did not see any incorrect spelling or grammar.
Hi Janice
I like the fact that you addressed a topic that most of our class can relate to when we go to general hospitals, I have had a similar experience in GSH hospital where i was treating two patients in the same ward that were in gang rivalry and I was mostly afraid because I was told they were dangerous gang members but i manage to treat them equally regardless. I love how you went through literature that helped you manage the situation better.
Just as MD has mentioned in the above comment , next time consider your safety as well when you dealing with such patients can you can never be sure of their capabilities . all in all i loved your work .