This photo depicts a descending stairwell. Its function is to allow access from one floor of a building to another and this is what most would see when looking at the picture, a simple set of stairs. However, to me it portrays something different. This picture tells me a story of the uncertainty faced when walking down an unknown path and the anxiety accompanied by it.
If one were to descend these stairs, they would not know what waits for them at the bottom. On one hand it could be something great but on the other it could be something terrifying. Now imagine it could be said with certainty that whatever was at the bottom was terrifying, but you had no choice but to descend because staying at the top may cost your life. The anxiety and frustration felt when faced with this scenario, to me, is what a patient may feel when experiencing the South African public health care system.
Patients and Physiotherapists in South Africa are plagued with numerous challenges when trying to receive or give health care. Patients are faced with a lack of access to health care facilities, health care professionals and individualized attention. Health care professionals are faced with a lack of safety and rehabilitation equipment, poor working conditions and the time required to effectively treat their patients .
All South African healthcare patients without medical aid receive free primary health care services at government facilities (Stevenson, 2019). However, only 53% of South Africans have access to these facilities; while only 37% of those who are considered poor have access to these facilities (Burger & Christian, 2019). This tells us that most of those unable to access these government facilities are those who need them the most due to their financial situations.
In addition to this, most health care professionals, Physiotherapists included, work in the private sector which only services about 20% of the population and receives most of the resources committed to the health care sector (Physiopedia, 2019). This leaves the public health care sector to care for 80% of the countries patients while being underfunded and understaffed. This results in the need for a high patient turn around rate which is achieved by only having a few short treatment sessions. This fast-paced patient treatment system, combined with the patients lack of access, often results in incompletion of rehabilitation programs and reinjury. Thus, a cycle that causes the number of patients to increase exponentially is formed.
The ineffective treatment sessions and rehabilitation programs, that cannot be monitored by a Physiotherapist, often have negative effects on patients. This leaves them feeling frustrated, anxious and with a negative experience caused by no fault of the patient or the therapist.
The anxiety and frustration felt by public health care patients is not isolated to them but is also felt by the health care professionals working in the public health sector. Health care professionals, specifically physiotherapists are often subject to poor working conditions, a lack of safety equipment such as gloves, sanitizers and masks and are forced to use old, damaged or outdated equipment to treat patients (Montgomery,2016).
The south African public health care system has neither the funding nor the manpower to effectively treat the exponentially increasing number of patients they are faced with. When considering this it is easy to see that the South African public health care system is well into its own decent. But just as one can walk back up a flight of stairs, South Africa’s public health care system can also be redeemed, all we need to do is take the first step. By doing this we can improve our patients experience and work towards treating them effectively.
References:
South Africa. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.physio-pedia.com/South_Africa
Stevenson, S. (2019). Are foreigners really entitled to free healthcare in South Africa?. Retrieved from https://bhekisisa.org/article/2019-03-06-can-foreigners-get-medical-aid-free-healthcare-in-south-africa
Burger, R., & Christian, C. (2019). Access to health care in post-apartheid South Africa: availability, affordability, acceptability. Retrieved from https://rhap.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/access_to_health_care_in_postapartheid_south_africa_availability_affordability_acceptability.pdf
Young, Montgomery, “Private vs. Public Healthcare in South Africa” (2016).Honors Theses.Paper 2741. 100000fefffff
One thought on “Descending into darkness, a patients experience in the SA health care system- Serrao”
Hi Brandon!
I found your assignment very interesting and I think you painted a good picture of how the healthcare system in South Africa can be experienced from a patient PoV.
I liked the introduction in your essay; comparing what most people probably will think of by looking at this picture, versus how you see it – a story of the unknown. You catch my attention at once and I started to imagine the feeling of anxiety and frustration you are trying to create with the picture. Do you think these feelings are relevant for all patients in South Africa, or are you thinking of a specific group of patients?
I think the structure of your assignment is very good. I like how you present a patient’s PoV first and literature later on. I found your references relevant and you link them together with your reflection at the end of the essay. Have you considered to add a more concrete example of how the SA healthcare system affects the patients directly, considering anxiety and frustration you mention earlier on? I believe this will make the text even more related to the picture. For example, when you write “this often leaves patients impaired” you could consider mentioning how this can lead to anxiety or frustration.
I found it interesting, but terrifying, how such a small percentage of the population have access to free primary health care services. I would like to know why this is such a small percentage. Is there a lack of medical professionals in SA or does it e.g. tempt much more to work privately? And why does the private sector receive most of the resources that are involved in health care?
I like how you compare the difference between public and private health care sectors, and the complications this leads to by showing both the positive and negative with the systems. It got me reflecting on the difference from Norway, as we have both very good public and private hospitals, and I believe the difference between rich and poor in less existing here as well. Even though it’s too expensive for many to go to a private sector in Norway, we know we can trust and expect to get good help (most of the times) from the public healthcare sectors, despite for the long waiting times.
You use relevant and strong literature that are layout in a correct format. Also, the text is grammatically correct.
Overall, I really liked your essay as you focused on an important dilemma in the SA health system and you introduce evidence regarding the problems both patients and health care professionals face with this fast-paced system. The essay is easy to follow, and you give me an overall perspective of the South African healthcare system.
Excellent work!