The goals of health care in ethics of distribution essay

Abstract
Health care is the ability to maintain or restore health by prevention or treatment by a trained specialist. This paper seeks to explain the various goals of healthcare. It looks at the different definitions that are involved, and the various meanings people and society give it. It also features three roles of healthcare, namely prolongation of human life, alleviating suffering and increase in the patient’s chance for a happy and productive life. The paper also discusses the limit of healthcare and what humane health care entails. The goals of health care in ethics of distribution essay
Introduction
To understand health care, we need to have a picture of what health and disease mean. From a biological perspective, there is no health or illness, just different organisms fighting for survival the best way they can. For example, a bacterium is just a living organism, with its structure and methods of survival. It being in the human body and causing pneumonia is just coincidental and depends on a variety of things like its location, the person’s age, physical condition and stress. Thus, the best way to understand health and disease is in their social context.
In acknowledging the social context of health and illness, it doesn’t mean that there is no scientific side to it. It means that they are not entirely biological or physiological. Social aspects have a great impact on people. They influence the possibility of recognizing a problem, and the action taken. Some people may have symptoms but still not consider themselves to be sick, and others can acknowledge the illness yet carry on with their regular duties until the body cannot work anymore. Others will feel pain or any discomfort to be a sign of sickness. The goals of health care in ethics of distribution essay
Therefore, a disease can be defined as any change in the structural, physical or physiological functioning of the human body as the society views it or the individuals themselves. (Dan W. Brock, 2006) Clearly, the society has a major say in this, and it’s more of psychological than physical. When a tumor causes a person a lot of pain to hinder movement, it’s considered a disease. On the other hand, one might have arthritis but still perform adequately, thus not deemed to be ill.
Individuals and the society might have the meaning of a disease all worked out, but still the health care practitioners have a role to play since they are the agents of the society. They possess specialized knowledge and can weigh the needs of a patient to the society’s resources. Professionally, they have a responsibility of determining what constitutes a disease and the appropriate treatment required. However, they have not always been helpful and at times use their power to serve their agendas. That is evident when they give a false prescription knowingly, so as to sell the expensive drugs and make profits. That can harm the patient, and can be worse when it leads to death. Also, no matter the amount of money one has paid, a doctor is supposed to give a full diagnosis of the patient. Some only give results for the tests the patient has paid for and leave out any other threatening symptoms. As long as the doctor can save the life of a patient and prevent future complications, one can find ways of making payments later on. The goals of health care in ethics of distribution essay

CMH. (2001). Macroeconomics and Health: Investing in Health for Economic Development. Geneva: World Health Organization.
Dan W. Brock, D. W. (2006). Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd edition. Washington DC: World Bank.
Hardon, D. (1991). Setting Healthcare priorities in Oregon. Journal of American Medical Association, 18-25.
Steven S. Coughlin, P. (2009). Case Studies in Public Health Ethics. American Public Health Association.

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