Today we learned about healthcare in class. The two different types of healthcare are public and clinical. During our discussion, I pictured different scenarios for the both. In clinical, I pictured a clinic where a patient comes in with a problem, gets prescribed medicine from the doctor, and leaves the clinic feeling better about his or her problem. In public health, I pictured all the television, billboard, magazine ads that encourage exercise and eating right. I also pictured the campaign that Michelle Obama has for healthier school lunches in public schools. I agreed with both approaches to health because preventing health problems is the key to living a healthier life, but sometimes our biological genes can disrupt our lives and this is where clinical healthcare comes in to help. As for the three general approaches to medicine, I have witnessed all three and the two I have personally tried are the wholistic and biomedical western approaches. I believe that the natural remedies and encouragement of the overall health can sometime be better for a person than constantly taking medicine for pain. Positive attitude can be medicine in its self and I have seen more people recently turn to wholistic medicine than go directly to the chemicals of biomedical western medicine.
Healthcare and insurance was another hot topic that we discussed. It was a depressing topic because I always forget how many people are not fortunate enough to have health insurance and receive healthcare when needed. It was a harsh reality to admit that healthcare really is a privilege and not a right in the United States. Almost everyone in the world views the United States as a superior country, but yet it does not provide the need of affordable healthcare for its citizens like many other countries do. This went along well with the low life expectancy in the United States since many people do not have health insurance. This is a work in progress, but I believe healthcare should be a right in the United States considering its status in the world. We then talked about the three different beliefs in healthcare and how they may affect a person in the healthcare setting. It was interesting to hear how hospitals currently work with shamans and other medicine men to understand cultures and do what is best for the patient.
Later, we went to visit a level one Ecuadorian hospital, which provides consultation and care for minor medical situations. This clinic was the only one that had a domestic violence facility, which contained doctors, psychologists, and social workers to help those who have fallen victims to domestic violence. It was unfortunate to hear that domestic violence is common, especially among young children, and that there is only one center in the area that offers help for it. Another interesting room we saw was the labor and delivery room. This clinic allows for the mothers to give birth in any setting that they are comfortable in whether it is with or without family in the room. The hospital also offered equipment so that the mother could give birth in a position she is comfortable in. The doctors are there to offer anesthesia and monitor the birth so as to avoid and assist in complications if they arise. This hospital does not do c-sections or any other major types of surgeries, which worried me because the mother would have to be transported by ambulance to the nearest hospital if a serious complication occurred. We later were told that any service that the hospital offers is free because it is government funded. This helped me make better sense as to why mothers came here to give birth. One of the last sections we saw was the emergency room, which we learned was usually filled with pediatric patients. It was a much smaller room than I had pictured and therefore, it made sense as to why it was usually filled. One of the last questions asked was about the natural medicine and if the hospital worked with shaman. Our guide had told us that they did have an intercultural center since the hospital was in a rural area and they received many indigenous patients. Our guide said that they do work with local medicine men to give the patients the care that they are most comfortable with. This hospital seemed more like a small clinic to me. However, I believe they are considered a hospital because the do have a labor and delivery section as well as an emergency room. It was fascinating to hear that all their services are free because of the large population of people that are part of the lower class. Although this hospital seemed much different than the ones back in the United States, it offered many needed services to the public and every employee we encountered seemed to enjoy their jobs.
