The photo that I took shows a fire hydrant surrounded by an area scorched by flames. This picture represents the South African health care system and the surrounding environment. Like this fire hydrant, we have hospitals and facilities, but they rarely provide the services that they promise. This ultimately leads to tragedies, that send our people, that seek medical help, up in flames.
There are multiple possible reasons for this occurrence. For instance, a fire hydrant can be present, but not be utilized properly or it can just be faulty and of no use. In this way, it is proof that something can be done to prevent a crisis, but as seen in the picture, nothing has been done.
Our hospitals are flooded with patients requiring urgent care each day, but the medical staff is either unable or unwilling to cater to all the peoples’ needs. Patients have to wait hours and sometimes days before they are seen and treated, this is the same in even the best of the government hospitals.
Due to a lack of prevention and early treatment there is a major influx of diabetes patients coming into the hospital. Most of these patients have advanced Sepsis of the toe, that requires an amputation that could otherwise have been prevented with education and early treatment. This leads to an epidemic as these patients now occupy around a third of all surgical beds, that would otherwise have been available to patients of MVA’s or other traumas and patients with cancer, for six weeks to a year. Around a third of these people die in the hospital after multiple unsuccessful amputations, the rest return home and are forced to adapt to a completely different lifestyle. Patients that had amputations of the leg, will not receive prosthetic legs as there are none. This complicates a physiotherapist’s job a lot. The patients are rarely able to fully integrate back into the community or their occupation as they don’t receive the exact care they require. (Ntaaibosch, 2017)
When patients are eventually seen, they seldom receive the proper care that they require, and are often sent off to integrate back into the community without the right medication or education. Some patients are kept in hospitals and are still neglected. In 2015 and 2016, 144 mental health patients passed away due to poor treatment as they were relocated from private hospitals to poorly equipped local facilities in an attempt to save money. (AFP, 2019)
According to the DA, the money for resources and equipment is there, it is just continually poorly spent. It is possible for the health care systems to receive more money to spend, as soon as they learn how to spend it correctly. (Reporter, A, 2018)
Consequently, physiotherapy treatment suffers under these circumstances. Patients that require extensive treatment plans, need to settle for a quick fifteen-minute consultation and treatment without the equipment they require. Patients are not receiving adequate care, due to the misuse of money provided for this purpose.
This calls for serious change in the management of our health care system and hospitals, clinics and facilities. Otherwise the environment around the hospitals will go up in flames as everything constantly degenerates.
Afp. (2019, May 01). Failing health system in spotlight ahead of vote. Retrieved May 04, 2019, from https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2019-05-01-failing-health-system-in-spotlight-ahead-of-vote/
Reporter, A. (2018, June 14). SA health care system on the brink of total collapse, says DA. Retrieved May 04, 2019, from https://www.iol.co.za/news/politics/sa-health-care-system-on-the-brink-of-total-collapse-says-da-15473336
Ntaaibosch. (2017, October 11). Horrifying cycle of amputations | Health-e. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://www.health-e.org.za/2017/10/11/horrifying-spiral-amputations/
One thought on “Up in flames- Leonora du Preez, 3827354”
Content: The picture taken is relative to the task at hand. The author has provided a red thread between the text and the picture. The author described issues of utmost importance within the South African health care system in very clear matters. Like the consequences of poorly distributed money, and lack of proper resources, and how it affects the patients. It’s shocking to read about how long these patients must wait to receive health care. In reflection of my own approach to clinical practice, I will think of how to utilize the time and resources at hand for the best possible patient care.
Argument: The context of the text is shown in clear matters. I really like how the structured text makes it easy to read and follow. The author presents open and logical arguments, like how there are many possible reasons for why the outcome of occurrences like with the fire hydrant.
References: The references are correctly applied following the guidelines of APA. The text is supported by the content of the articles provided, which therefore support the arguments brought to light by the author.
Writing: As I read through the text, the entire text looks Grammarly correct. No spelling mistakes. The English terminology seems to be logically presented.
My eye caught the part about how issues like how some patients are neglected, and how so many passed away due to poor treatment and relocations. We do have a few cases in Norway as well, where some patients went through the health system to quickly, resulting in fatal consequences, but not to the same extent. It’s unthinkable to read how some patient with a need for extensive needs only receive a quick 15-minute consultation and treatment. Your piece made me realize just how important it is to give proper health care: utilizing resources. Like spending enough time on each patient to get the in-depth information required to give the right treatment, diagnosis, equipment, etc.