http://www.npr.org/2011/10/27/141770333/bangkok-at-risk-of-its-worst-flooding-in-decades
As Bangkok's residents prepare for the imminent disastrous flooding coming their way, it makes us think about the true damage natural disasters cause. Besides being a hazard to human life, developing countries must repair physical damage and struggle to manage with a crippled economy. In addition, many are forced to move away from their homes. Natural disasters have a huge impact on health in developing countries. As these people in Bangkok are displaced because they have to move to higher elevation, they will have to find places to live, whether in city slums or shantytowns. The lack of jobs in a devastated economy leaves many without income and a way to pay for any healthcare. Since so many people are living in unsanitary conditions and in close proximity, disease can spread fast. The inability to get healthcare in combination with the increased chance of disease transmission makes the flooding in Bangkok a recipe for disaster.
Because of situations like this, we realize that we have to have ways to mitigate natural disasters quickly. However, even with plans, it is very hard to predict for everything that comes our way. This incident is not isolated in only Bangkok. Scientists have warned that as global climate change worsens, weather patterns will become more and more extreme. Bangkok should be a warning to all developing countries who cannot handle and initiate the response necessary to large scale natural disasters. International aid groups can only provide so much help for so long.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Wang Yue and China's Sense of Morality
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2051679/Yue-Yue-dead-Chinese-girl-Wang-Yue-2-run-bystanders-watch-dies.html
Earlier this week, a two year old girl named Wang Yue was run over twice on a road in China, and ignored by 18 passersby. She died this morning, her death being a painful message of the increasing lack of morality despite its rapid economic growth. This is not directly related to healthcare, but it tells a story. We have always been trying to continuously push money into the economies and governments of developing countries, but we see that even in China, a now relatively successful country, there are huge issues that will develop. Even if there is adequate healthcare, we ignore the fact that we can't change the mentality of people.
She did eventually get to the hospital, but only after laying in the street for 10 minutes, completely ignored. This brings to light that there are many different aspects to international healthcare. Even if there are good systems available, we cannot ignore the fact that there are always going to be these situations. In order to keep healthcare moving forward, we have to make sure that people are educated in the importance of an interconnected society. Everything is related, and our actions affect others. We need to make sure that even though we cannot offer immediate healthcare to each other because we don't have a doctor's education, we can still save lives. Had just one person paid attention to her earlier, she would have an exponentially greater chance of surviving.
Earlier this week, a two year old girl named Wang Yue was run over twice on a road in China, and ignored by 18 passersby. She died this morning, her death being a painful message of the increasing lack of morality despite its rapid economic growth. This is not directly related to healthcare, but it tells a story. We have always been trying to continuously push money into the economies and governments of developing countries, but we see that even in China, a now relatively successful country, there are huge issues that will develop. Even if there is adequate healthcare, we ignore the fact that we can't change the mentality of people.
She did eventually get to the hospital, but only after laying in the street for 10 minutes, completely ignored. This brings to light that there are many different aspects to international healthcare. Even if there are good systems available, we cannot ignore the fact that there are always going to be these situations. In order to keep healthcare moving forward, we have to make sure that people are educated in the importance of an interconnected society. Everything is related, and our actions affect others. We need to make sure that even though we cannot offer immediate healthcare to each other because we don't have a doctor's education, we can still save lives. Had just one person paid attention to her earlier, she would have an exponentially greater chance of surviving.
Friday, October 7, 2011
"14 Reasons Not to Donate to Somalia"
http://dochasnetwork.wordpress.com/2011/08/09/14-reasons-not-to-donate-to-somalia/
^This article is basically the translated version of the original article, which I can't find anymore. It has all the same content, but I'm really paying attention to the 14 reasons not to donate, and the one reason we should.
The fourteen reasons the Dutch journalist wrote for not donating to Somalia outline the very reasons our initiatives to provide international aid are rendered useless. The biggest reasons as to why so many suffer in Somalia is not because of natural disasters or lack of proper agricultural practices, it's because their government is unable to properly prioritize their spending on infrastructure and they sold acres upon acres of fertile land to foreign investors, leaving nothing to supply food to their own people, creating the huge famine in Somalia. Even if we give aid to the government, chances are that no good will come of it because they will spend it irresponsibly. If we give it to smaller groups, we run the risk of violent factions within Somalia getting a hold of the money and using it against other factions.
We have to realize that as good as our intentions are, we cannot create a big change in international health if the governments of those we are trying to help are not cooperating or are very corrupt. No matter what aid we funnel in, it will never be enough to create infrastructure for all of those countries, to pave roads, to build hospitals, to get equipment. We need the cooperation of those governments. If we don't have the cooperation of governments, we leave the citizens with roads leading to no healthcare (if we choose to put money into paving roads) or we leave them with hospitals and resources, but no way to get to them. It is difficult to put adequate funds into both because there simply isn't enough money. So while we do talk a lot about technology helping to cure disease, how expensive treatments are, and so on and so forth, we also have to note that the government and political environment of the country itself will also majorly effect the healthcare resources of the citizens in question.
^This article is basically the translated version of the original article, which I can't find anymore. It has all the same content, but I'm really paying attention to the 14 reasons not to donate, and the one reason we should.
The fourteen reasons the Dutch journalist wrote for not donating to Somalia outline the very reasons our initiatives to provide international aid are rendered useless. The biggest reasons as to why so many suffer in Somalia is not because of natural disasters or lack of proper agricultural practices, it's because their government is unable to properly prioritize their spending on infrastructure and they sold acres upon acres of fertile land to foreign investors, leaving nothing to supply food to their own people, creating the huge famine in Somalia. Even if we give aid to the government, chances are that no good will come of it because they will spend it irresponsibly. If we give it to smaller groups, we run the risk of violent factions within Somalia getting a hold of the money and using it against other factions.
We have to realize that as good as our intentions are, we cannot create a big change in international health if the governments of those we are trying to help are not cooperating or are very corrupt. No matter what aid we funnel in, it will never be enough to create infrastructure for all of those countries, to pave roads, to build hospitals, to get equipment. We need the cooperation of those governments. If we don't have the cooperation of governments, we leave the citizens with roads leading to no healthcare (if we choose to put money into paving roads) or we leave them with hospitals and resources, but no way to get to them. It is difficult to put adequate funds into both because there simply isn't enough money. So while we do talk a lot about technology helping to cure disease, how expensive treatments are, and so on and so forth, we also have to note that the government and political environment of the country itself will also majorly effect the healthcare resources of the citizens in question.
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