Determinants of Good Health - Essay Sample

Introduction

Health is the state in which all the body parts are functioning at optimum levels. In a case when either one or more organs are not functioning, then the person is not healthy hence the need to seek medical advice (World Health Organisation). Medical services are some of the priorities that many governments have, and they strive to build as many hospitals as possible. In the less developed countries, the people may suffer from the lack of adequately trained personnel and equipment which they can use in curing the illnesses that they face daily. The doctors in such states are therefore needed to refer the patients to other hospitals that have better facilities to care for them. The lack of such facilities is one of the significant problems that the countries face. Apart from the level of development that the nation has, there are other determinants of health. This paper is an analysis of three stories and how they portray the idea that health care is not equal to all people.

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The first story is written by Edith Turner - There are no peripheries to Humanity. In the article, Turner is an anthropologist who goes to Point Hope North Alaska todo her research there. Her nature as an anthropologist makes her attached to the field in which she is doing her, and she feels like she is part of the community in which she is doing her research. In her stay in Point hope, she notes that just as it was in the thirties and forties when the people in the place suffered from measles and Tuberculosis, the modern people in the area had one major illness that kept reoccurring- Cancer. She explains that the course of the alarming rate of cancer-related cases was unknown with the residents only speculating about it. The author explains that her speculations were about a project that had been set to launch in the area during the years of the world war 2 - Project Chariot which aimed at finding peaceful uses of nuclear weapons which were common in the 1950s (Oneil 29). The project was however abandoned due to complaints by scientists, residents and other vigilant environmentalists. Though the project had been abandoned, the effects were still felt in the era as seen in the many cancer cases in Point Hope. The narrator gives an in-depth description of the suffering of the citizens in the areas such as the excessive growth of a cyst that a patient in 1998 had caused her to lose her kidney during operation (Turner 95).

Basing on the report by the doctor, it is clear that the environment in which one is in is a determinant of how healthy one is. In comparison to other states that have the same amount of wealth and technological development, the citizens in Point Hope are at a higher risk of cancer exposure due to exposure to radiation caused by a previously developed project in the area. The same is applicable even in other states whereby the area in which one lives determines their health. An excellent example of such is whereby a person living in a highly industrialized town is more prone to respiratory illnesses compared to one who lives in a less industrialized place. The one in an area with any industries is exposed to many fumes and gases from the industries which places them at a higher risk of illnesses just as it was in point hope where the citizens had more significant exposure to radiation. All the above data expressed in the story show that to live a healthy life, one has to look for a place that is safe and less exposed to harmful surroundings such as radiation. Even though one may be living in a well-developed era where the people have excellent medical facilities, a toxic environment or one filled with pollutants is likely to lead to more cases of ill health.

The second determinant of health is the social status of an individual. For this determinant, an article Life and Times Of Magda A by Didier, Frederic and Todd will be analyzed. Magda was born in South Africa and raised by her Grandmother. From the first part of the story, it is clear that she was of low social status by the fact that her family was poor. Her mother had five children all from different fathers. Her mother conceived with her at a tender age of15 years to a man who worked at Gauteng in Guatemala. He was abusive and neglected his duties. Her life was, therefore, a poor one with her mother having to tend for the needs of all her five children Her family members also belonged to the same bracket as seen in the explanation she gives about her unemployed uncle who has four children and drinks a lot. Due to her state, she often missed school to do chores at home. At the age of 15, she is exposed to rape by her stepfather who claimed that because her mother was not getting children, she would get them with her. He had sex with her each time he was drunk, and her mother just pretended not to notice what was happening. In the story, there are many highlights of prostitution as seen when she started working, and she was taken to a place where there were many men who engaged in sex with girls (Fasssin et al. 230). She is horrified by the act and notes that many people are in the act for money.

Basing on the story, it is clear that health can be determined by the social status of an individual. People who cannot afford basic needs and wallow in poverty are driven by their needs to engage in unhealthy acts as seen in the story. The first incident is seen in her mother's behavior. She had five children all from different men. Engaging in such promiscuous sexual behavior exposes one not only to HIV AIDS but also other sexually transmitted diseases.

Furthermore, the lack of proper means to fight for one's rights is typical in low social classes. The people may have a comprehensive understanding of their rights but may not have a method of looking for justice. This is very evident in the way Magda is treated by her stepfather. She is exposed to rape at a tender age. Taking such a vice into consideration, Magda was at high risk of getting sexually transmitted diseases. Her stepfather has sex with her mother who is also promiscuous which escalates the chances of getting STIs. The lack of income also drives the girls from poor social classes to acts such as prostitution where they get exposed to drug and substance abuse among other unhealthy acts. Some of the people who engage in such acts are also at risk of getting psychological illnesses due to stress. Access to food is also determined by social status. In her job as a house help, Magda eats leftovers and sleeps in the dining room after the people have left. The lack of a proper diet leads to malnutrition. The social status that an individual is in is, therefore, a determinant of the health that the individual has.

The third article, minding the body is an explanation of how organs are stolen and transported to other people. To begin with, the story analyses the stealing of body organs both from patients in hospitals and dead people in mortuaries. At first, the author heard of the stories and thought that they were just rumors, but upon proper analysis and continued incidences, he had decided to investigate. The first incident was in Brazil where the voluntary donation of organs had significantly reduced. He, therefore, decided to track down one of the patients who had been robbed of a kidney during operation. Laodicea do Silva had been booked for an operation to remove an ovarian cyst, but after sedation, the doctors had removed her kidney as it was later discovered by her routine doctors during checkups. Even though she had filed a court case, no measure had been taken. In the incident when her brother died sometime later, she had to go to the hospital to avoid any incident of organ harvesting. In another case study in India, the citizens sold their organs. In an interview with a lady whose sons organs had been removed without her consent, the narrator explains the story of how the eyes and probably other organs had been removed from the body of the man only to be discovered by his mother. Elater interviews a man who was involved in the act of organ sales and he explains how easy it is to move organs from one place to the other using containers used in carrying meat. It is very unethical that people behave in such a manner. One of the core principles that one is bound by being a doctor is that they should maintain transparency in all their dealings. The behavior of doctors and mortuary attendants is disturbing considering that they can remove the body organs of the individual without proper approval by the patient (Scheper-Hughes 193). Such behavior exposes the patients to health risks especially if the organ that has been stolen is essential An excellent example of such a case is when the kidney of the lady in the case study was stolen. If her other kidney were to fail, she would be at a higher risk.

There are several determinants of health as explained above. The social status of an individual exposes one to particular abuse and engagement in unhealthy activities such as prostitution all in a bid to fulfill their basic needs. An unhealthy environment also results in higher health risk as seen in the case of Point hope where radiation causes the citizens to have cancer. The behavior of medical personnel is also a determinant of health as seen in the case study about the theft of organs. It is essential that the people in whichever state avoid the above predisposing factors to reduce such risks.

Works Cited

Fassin, Didier, et al. "Life & times of Magda A: Telling a story of violence in South Africa." Current Anthropology 49.2 (2008): 225-246.

O'Neill, Dan. "Project Chariot: How Alaska Escaped Nuclear Excavation." Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists 45.10 (1989): 28-37.

Scheper-Hughes, Nancy, et al. "The global traffic in human organs." Current Anthropology 41.2 (2000): 191-224.

Turner, Edith. "There Are No Peripheries to Humanity: Northern Alaska Nuclear Dumping and the Inupiat's Search for Redress." Anthropology and Humanism 22.1 (1997): 95-109.

World Health Organization. World health statistics 2015. World Health Organization, 2015.