Quality of the health care system declining

This picture shows a man behind a glass door with his hands touching on the door as if he is locked in and wishing he could go out of the room, longing to be outside. This picture represents how it feels like to be a patient for some patients. I chose this picture because it shows much detail and clarity from the body language and environment or setting around in the picture about the feelings of these patients, what they go through and what they wish for.

This picture shows sadness and sorrow. The black and white colour of the picture symbolises the sadness of the situation and the fears these patients go through, it shows how stressed and depressed they are. These patients feel neglected in the health care system of South Africa and they wonder each time if they will be getting proper care and treatment. The locked doors represents how they feel trapped at hospitals, one minute they had control of what they do and when, the next minute they are told when to do what they should or want to. They see the outside through the windows but cannot interact with it or the society.

The big red X on the face symbolises their emotions and fear of their conditions worsening, their children left at home and who supports their family while they are hospitalised. They are fretful and in a rush to be discharged. Although they know their rights to all health care services, they are forced to settle for whatever they can get. The health care system is getting better in some districts but worse in others. They are forever in a worry about their health and never enjoy their hospital stay; they hate it because of all the negligence by health professionals and improper care they receive

Poverty has long been recognised as a major cause of ill-health and as a barrier to accessing health care services, and the issue of poverty was raised repeatedly during the public hearings as an impediment to accessing health care services in South Africa (Patient’s Rights Charter).  International treaties, to which South Africa is a signatory, emphasise the development of a primary health care approach in which adequate nutritious foods, clean drinking water and a healthy environment must be provided. These public hearings focused on access to health care services in a more narrowly defined way. As a result of economic globalisation, provision of health care is no longer the jurisdiction of sovereign states alone, and access to health care (Department of Health).

What is more difficult to assess with accuracy is whether the situation has improved or worsened over time, and thus whether there is indeed a progressive realisation of the right to access to health care services.

Reference;

DoH (Department of Health), Patient’s Rights Charter, retrieved 15 April 2019 from

http://www.doh.gov.za/docs/legislation/patientsright/chartere.html