A lot of rural communities tend to have severe healthcare shortages. Most villages do not have established clinics or other facilities to provide even the most basic healthcare services. Preventive care, maternal health and antenatal services are not immune to these shortages. This has profound implications on societies. Economies can suffer if their workforce Economies can suffer if the workforce has a high morbidity rate. This can be manifest in many ways including missed productivity due to the workforce spending significant time away from productivity and on the sick bed. A society with a high mortality rate will also rid itself of the workforce required to drive the economy. High morbidity and mortality rates can also result in unplanned slowing of population growth.
The sick state is an undesirable experience. Illnesses carry significant physical and mental effects on individuals and families. Stresses placed on the body in the acute sick state turns the body into a sometimes unrecognizable and uncomfortable space. The sick state places emotional stress on individuals with a battle with the self to rid oneself of illness. The real of of death associated with the sick state creates a constant subconscious bargain with the less than ideal present state and a hope for non-guaranteed recovery future state. Families are usually thrown into a state of discomfort and emotional stress due to the suffering of a loved one. This decreases the quality of life of individuals due to the sick state.
Another important process in human health is the dying process. End of life care is a critical component of health. It is important that individuals at end of life receive proper care to help them achieve their end of life goals. Families need to be given adequate care when they are faced with the end of life of a member of their family. This allows families to be well-prepared for the painful process of losing a family member.
Childbirth is the basis of the continued existence of the human race. The process of childbirth precedes modern medicine. Medical care is however of utmost importance to maintain a safe childbearing process from preconception through pregnancy to the post pregnancy state. In the event that the childbearing process results in a sick state from any of a seemingly endless list of complications, the above listed reasons regarding the necessity of medical management of the sick state still holds.
Not many good reasons against the importance of providing healthcare services to all individuals are readily conceivable.
Societies have a solemn obligation to dedicate significant resources to solving healthcare problems. It is safe to assume that most societies will not have excess resources. Hence, resource allocation and prioritization is critical, particularly in healthcare. A good fundamental guiding principle, at any given time, is to determine how to solve the most pressing healthcare problem to benefit the most people with any portfolio of resources. This should be a fundamental guiding principle at all times in healthcare management.
It is important to not be distracted by the more dramatic and, in equal measure, the glamorous healthcare problems that do not satisfy the four criteria below (Kubi Criteria) when allocating resources in healthcare:
The healthcare problem to be solved with the available resources is the most pressing healthcare need.
Solution to said healthcare problem will benefit the most people when compared to solutions to other healthcare problems with the resources available.
Solving the said healthcare problem will most improve the health of the society when compared to solving other healthcare problems.
Allocating any available resources to solve another healthcare problem will not result in a better improvement in the overall health of the society.
It is important to realize that solving healthcare problems is a powerful tool to address other seemingly unrelated social issues. Unemployment and youth empowerment can be addressed through attempts at solving healthcare problems by trusting the brilliant and willing young people in society with the task of solving healthcare problems. Improved cooperation between different communities can be achieved by working together to achieve a common healthcare goal. A society that demonstrates a commitment to acknowledging and solving pertinent healthcare problems will attract people to emigrate from far and near to the said community, which will in turn boost the economic growth of the society.
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