Patients in the South African Health care system
Patient files are an excellent way to keep all of a patient’s information and treatment plan together, but it compartmentalises them in to simply a pile of papers with a number on the front. Patient’s information is all stored in files and helps all the health care professionals keep track of the time in the hospital and all that they have been treated for. However, figuratively patients become just another person to treat and just another liability for the government to deal with. Most health care professionals quickly deal with patients one after another to get through the long list that they have to see for the day. The more they get through the better and so care and effort is often neglected, and bigger problems are missed. Patient files blur into each other and specifics are forgotten. Their rehabilitation and interaction with physiotherapists are often brief and follow up appointments are difficult to get too due to circumstances and transport accessibility. Physiotherapists do try and make community house visits but some places can be too remote or unsafe.
Patient experiences and health system responsiveness in South Africa was analysed by Karl Peltzer, who looks at how patients are treated in the public sector and the level of care they received. It reviewed the patient’s level of satisfaction of the care and how they were made to feel. Public sector patients were not seen quickly or treated as thoroughly as they would have liked, and the level of privacy and confidentiality was low (Peltzer, 2009). Frank Tanser et al looks at how accessibility and utilization effects health care in South Africa. It showed how most of the population in rural areas had to travel an hour or more to their nearest health care facility and that hospitals are even further away making accessibility to health care very difficult leading to less people going to follow ups as they deem it unnecessary (Frank Tanser, 2006). South Africa has a long way to go in terms of equal and accessible health care and providing care for all patients. Health care professionals need to remember that every patient matters and everyone deserves quality care and rehabilitation.
Bibliography
Peltzer, K. (2009). Patient experiences and health system responsiveness in South Africa . BMC Health Services Research, 9:117. https://bmchealthservres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1472-6963-9-117
Frank Tanser, B. G. (2006, August ). Modelling and understanding primary health care accessibility and utilization in rural South Africa: An exploration using a geographical information system. Social Science & Medicine, 63(3), 691-705 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277953606000372.
One thought on “Just another number – 3847434 Leila Christensen”
Content:
I think your choice of content for this assignment is brilliant. It reflects an imprtant issue, that most likely is present in all health care systems – also in Norway. The Idea of the rehabilitation process is to put the patient in the center and that everything should be facilitated for them to recover and get back to their daily life filled with participation and activities. Unfortunately, factors like time and economy may put restrictions to the patients experiences of the rehabilitation process and health care system.
The picture you chose correlates great with the content and enhances the message of the text. It is a reminder to all health care workes that behind all numbers and names, there is an actual person with their own lifestory and experiences, and we should always treat every individual with respect.
Arguments and References:
I find your argumentation and claims very good. It supports the Idea of the assignment and you succeed at creating reflection upon a very actualized theme in the health care system.
Your claims/ reference to Karl Peltzer and his analysis over the health system responsiveness was interesting to read. It is a shame that people living in rural areas basically are being excluded from the health care facilites due to long travel distances. Your references and Bibliography support the arguments and claims you made. Your referencing format is correct.
Writing:
Your english and grammar is flawless. Your writing is good, easy to read and understand.
Well done on your assignment! It was interesting for me to read that many of the health issues we have in Norway, are the same in South Africa.
If there is anything to «pick» on, it would be interesting to read more about the South African patient care-/ rehabilitation system and what you may think should be different about it, hence people in rural districts have problems with consulting the health care system. It would also be interesting to know if rehabilitation is available for everyone, or if this is something only wealthy people can afford? In Norway, we pay higher taxes so everyone regardless of economic income are offered the same health services if needed.
But, I am aware that the text then would be of a greater size – which was not the intention of the assignment. In other words, you truly succeeded in getting my nose curious of why the South African system is the way it is, and your text was a great reminder of there always being a person with their own experiences, emotions and feelings behind those numbers we see in journals, and we must never forget that.
Well done!
– Oda Evanger