Page 2 - Evidence of Learning
Evidence of Learning
Activity
1.2.3.1 – Watching the video of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and answering the
questions.
Q - Does your view of the public health sector in South
Africa reflect a single story? Does it reflect or reproduce some of the
negative stereotypes that we hold about health in South Africa? Why do you say
so?
A – As a person who has not been exposed to the public health sector, but
instead because of my privilege been exposed to the private health sector, a
very negative picture of the public health system has been painted by the media
I am exposed to. Therefore, it most certainly only reflects a single story.
Q - Very often, when we are asked to think about health
in Africa, especially the public health sector, we are inclined to think about
what is wrong or deficient with the system. Negative stereotypes exist for a
reason, and it is not to say that these things are not true. However, we seldom
hear about all the untold positive stories in our health system. We hear about
babies that die, understandably so. But we don’t hear about all the successful
deliveries. We hear about medical negligence - again, understandably so - but
we don’t often hear about all the successful and life-changing operations. Why
do you think this is the case?
A – I believe that people have an inherent curiosity of the morbid and the
media we are exposed to are aware of this. Therefore, we are exposed to a
single story of tragedy, because stories about medical malpractice normally
make for a good headline. People are more likely to read the article that would
outrage them, allowing the media to make money off a single story.
Q - Do some research on google and find examples of the
positives stories about our public health sector. Give one example you find.
A – Recently the Health Systems Trust in South Africa have taken initiative to
help patients with HIV/AIDS to fully suppress their symptoms. The project focuses
both on the psychological health as well as the physical health of patients and
case managers are assigned to make sure that patients are staying ahead of
their treatments
Bibliography
Centers for Disease Control,
2019. Global Health - South Africa. [Online]
Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/countries/southafrica/stories/each-one-reach-one.html
[Accessed 15 September 2022].
Activity 1.2.3.3 – Case Study.
1. What do you think prevents this from the side of:
the state, schools and institutions, commercial employers, retail and leisure
spaces?
The state – I believe that a lack of information of the
benefits of this practice is likely to blame. Furthermore, I believe that
public health is often not considered a political issue and therefore
politicians would be reluctant to weigh in.
Schools and Institutions – I believe that schools in South
Africa are generally very conservative and would not encourage breast feeding
in this way, because it would require for mothers to breastfeed in public,
which is often seen as “taboo” and “inappropriate” behaviour due to the
underlying sexism and gender roles that remain prevalent in our society to
this day.
Commercial employers – In general, most corporate
environments are male dominated and women are often expected to lose their
professional positions when they give birth. This would lead to an imbalance
in the work environment and likely a less tolerant attitude towards new
mothers and their need to breastfeed their children for six months, meaning
that the child would likely have to be nurse from a bottle or from formula by
another person, whilst their mother is working.
Retail and leisure spaces – Not many people are tolerant
towards breastfeeding in public, which would mean that store owners would not
encourage breast feeding. Furthermore, many people disregard the size of the
problem when it comes to breastfeeding one’s child which would mean
breastfeeding in public would not be accessible, because it is not of concern
to retail owners or management.
2. How do these cultural and social prejudices and bias
work against breastfeeding? The view of women’s bodies as polluted or
embarrassing or dangerous? Cultural stigma around women and their bodies? The
sexualization of women as mothers and their breasts? Women’s power or lack
thereof in religious entities? Issues of fashion and body norms for women and
social pressure to conform?
Women’s bodies are often viewed as inherently bad, because
of sexism throughout the entirety of human history. An example being
menstruation, a normal bodily process, which society deems necessary to
condemn. Women’s bodies are also viewed as inherently sexual, which would
make something as natural and necessary as breastfeeding be seen as a sexual
act. Women also often lack body autonomy, in which case people would feel
they have the right to tell a woman to cover up her body whilst
breastfeeding, making it much harder for mothers to nurse their infants for
six months.
3. What kind of resource allocation would be needed to
make breastfeeding – along public health guidelines – a reality? Are we ready
to commit to this as a society What does it say about the position and power
of women as mothers that we have failed to uphold our health policies and our
laws?
I am of the firm conviction that many problems such as
this one can be solved by proper health education, wherein all children are
taught to normalize healthy, normal practices and to respect the choices and
bodies of others.
Activity
1.4.1.2 - Create a visual representation
Art and Literature exist to preserve the human experience.
Health is a very important part of the human experience, and it is therefore
plausible that health would be portrayed in all forms of art. My sketch was
used to portray my experience with mental health and the struggles and
solutions I have had to endure. Art and literature often include themes such
as life and death both of which are at its source related to health. This piece is titled The Relief by Bea Jacobs and the medium is pencil on paper.
Activity 4.3.1
Part 1:
1.
Does this passage contain an argument?
Explain your answer to this question.
Yes, this passage does contain an argument. The argument is indicated by
the statement “mental conditions are not really diseases” and the explanation
for it that follows
2.
If the passage contains an argument, what are
the argument’s premises and conclusion? Explain your answer to this question.
The premise is that mental health conditions do not qualify as diseases,
and it is substantiated by stating that it would not show in an autopsy seeing
as it is not a distinctive biological problem.
3.
If the passage contains an argument, is it an
inductive, abductive, or deductive argument? Explain your answer to this
question.
The argument is deductive, since it is based on concrete evidence and
definitions, as well as semantics. The statement is however flawed, seeing as
mental conditions can often be seen on brain scans etc.
Part 2:
1.
Does this passage contain an argument?
Explain your answer to this question.
Yes, the passage does contain an argument, seeing as the premise is stated
and it is substantiated by evidence.
2.
If the passage contains an argument, what are
the argument’s premises and conclusion? Explain your answer to this question.
The premise is that acupuncture is effective. This is based on a person’s
previous experiences with medications and the fact that acupuncture as the only
treatment that proved effective, therefore acupuncture must be and effective
form of treatment.
3.
If the passage contains an argument, is it an
inductive, abductive, or deductive argument? Explain your answer to this
question.
The argument is inducive. It is based on a previous case wherein
acupuncture proved effective. Contrasting a deductive argument, an inductive
argument does have room for error and the case for this individual may not
necessarily be the case for another individual.
Part 3:
1.
Does this passage contain an argument?
Explain your answer to this question.
Yes, it does contain an argument. The study aims to prove that a gastric
bypass can potentially reverse type 2 diabetes
2.
If the passage contains an argument, what are
the argument’s premises and conclusion? Explain your answer to this question.
The premise is based on concrete evidence that a gastric bypass can
potentially reverse type 2 diabetes. The conclusion is that there is a chance
this may occur, but it could also prove ineffective.
3.
If the passage contains an argument, is it an
inductive, abductive, or deductive argument? Explain your answer to this
question.
The argument is deductive since it relies on reasonable conclusions from
facts and is almost certainly correct.
Activity 5.3.1
Step 1: Identify and explain which action areas from the
Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion have been applied in this video.
The video addresses four out of the five action areas. The app
shows how it creates a supportive environment in the way that mothers can voice
their concerns and ask questions about their pregnancy in a convenient way. It
strengthens community action in the way that users can rate and comment on
their experiences and thereby help other users. It further reorients health
services because nurses can also use the platform to gather health information
and contact other nurses for advice or questions. The application can also
develop personal skills in the way that nurses and patients can interact with
one another in a safe environment.
Step 2: With reference to the levels of data collection
in Health Information Systems, discuss the role that technology has played in improving
the collection of health information about pregnant women in South Africa?
Technology will prove far more effective in gathering health
information. When one can use technology, one can gain access to a wide variety
of people across the country. One can for example send out a survey about
people’s own health concerns and get results from people from all different
backgrounds in a much shorter span of time. It is also interesting to think
about patient files being stored on a single database for all healthcare
professionals to access. This will allow for far better understandings of
patient history for each medical professional to which a specific patient is
assigned. Furthermore, this will allow for a very convenient space to acquire
health information.
Activity 9.3.1
1. Why do you think some areas on the heat map experience
stock-outs more than others? Use examples from the heat map to explain your
answer.
The facilities that show the most medicine stock outs are
primarily located in densely populated, low-income areas (townships) or in
rural areas. An example of this is the two facilities in Alexandra that are
experiencing a shortage of ARVs and the healthcare facility in the rural area
of Jericho. The shortage in townships is most likely because of the burden of
disease. The large burden of disease might cause healthcare workers to struggle
when acquiring health information, whilst dealing with a very large workload.
In more rural areas, one might expect that the facilities are underfunded and
understaffed, seeing as they might not be considered a priority. Due to this,
the facility is unable to acquire health information which will allow the
government to see that more medications are needed at these facilities.
2. What do you see as some of the negative implications
caused by stock-outs?
Service delivery should be accessible, affordable, and
acceptable. When a medicine stock out occurs, patients might be unable to find
the medications they require from their healthcare facilities. This renders the
service unacceptable. Thereafter the patient, often in a rural area, must travel
to another facility to procure their treatment, which often requires long
journeys, making the service inaccessible. Unfortunately travel costs are also expensive,
which makes the service unaffordable. In the case of shortages of medication,
some patients with chronic diseases or those who require emergency procedures might
succumb to their ailments. Some facilities on the map have a shortage of
anaesthesia, which makes surgery impossible. South Africa is burdened by
disease and some healthcare facilities are unable to procure Anti-Retroviral medication
for their patients. Considering South Africa has the highest number of AIDs
patients in the world, this is a very dangerous shortage and could potentially
cost the lives of hundreds of patients.
3. Using the Health Systems Building Blocks Framework,
how can the different building blocks work together to prevent medicine
stock-outs.
For this initiative to take place, one would need
exceptional governance. Firstly, a statement should be issued by leadership,
that all healthcare workers must make sure they notify leadership about patient
prescriptions, so that governance has a better understanding of where funding
would be required. This is an example of the useful input that health
information can deliver.
This can be done by taking a daily log of prescribed medications
from each healthcare facility and sending it to the leaders of the initiative.
Secondly, governance should request the guidance of medical
researchers, such as epidemiologists to help them understand the data that they
are being delivered from healthcare facilities and pinpoint which locations
need the most urgent help and funding.
A direct line of communication should be opened between
ground level staff and governance so that they can voice their concerns. This
could be done by utilizing human resources effectively and having a
representative for each facility that has contact with the leaders of the
project.
The government must then decide to halt all less crucial
initiatives and instead distribute the funds in such a way that the facilities
experiencing shortages are able to receive funding for the medication in
shortage.
In this way, governance can make use of health information
to distribute health finances and thereby improve service delivery by making it
more accessible.
Activity 9.4.1
Activity 7.2.3.1
Question 1: The Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996 [No 92. Of 1996] is an important source of legislation that details a women’s right to terminate her pregnancy. Look at the excerpt from the Preamble to this Act. In a full sentence that makes reference to the Constitution of South Africa (1996), write a sentence that identifies which paragraph, sub-section and section of the Bill of Rights has been used to support the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act:
In the Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act, the Preamble makes reference to section 9, subsection 2 in terms of the achievement of equality; section 10, in terms of the value of dignity; section 12, subsection 1, in terms of security of the person, as well as subsection 2 in terms of their rights to make decisions regarding reproduction.
Question 2: Have a look at Section 5 of The Choice of Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1996 [No 92. Of 1996] below. Using a detailed sentence, identify in this Act when a child can get a termination of pregnancy WITHOUT the consent of their parent or legal guardian.
The Choice of Termination of Pregnancy act, Act 92 of 1996, section 5, subsection
2, states that no consent other than that of the pregnant woman shall be
required. Subsection 3 further states that the medical practitioner is advised
to consult the parents, guardians, family of friends, but should not do so if consulting
with them would result in the termination being denied.
Question 3: Read the summary of the following seminal case in South African Case Law: SOOBRAMONEY v MINISTER OF HEALTH, KWAZULU-NATAL 1998 (1) SA 765 (CC)
1. Who was the appellant in this case?
The appellant is Soobramoney, the 41-year-old diabetic suffering from heart
disease, kidney failure and cerebro-vascular disease.
2. Who were the parties in the matter?
The parties were the appellant (Soobramoney) and the Minister of Health of
KwaZulu-Natal
3. What was the year of the case and which court heard the matter?
The case
took place in 1998 under the Constitutional Court of South Africa.
4. Read
the summary of this case and briefly summarise the Soobramoney judgment with a
specific focus on the legal principles and how the law was applied to the
facts.
The court ruled in favour of the Minister of Health. The appellant had a
chronic disease for which he could not be treated due to the lack of necessary
resources and was refused treatment by Addington Hospital for dialysis. Section
27(4) of the constitution allows nobody to be refused from emergency treatment,
which is the opposite of what was done by the hospital. Unfortunately, this
does not apply to sufferers of chronic disease and was dismissed. Section 27(1)
of the constitution was therefore consulted, which states that everyone is
entitled to health care services provided by the public health system, within
the available resources. The Public health system was facing budget cuts and
therefore prioritised improving patients over those with chronic diseases and
the specific case was seen in the context of what care could be provided by the
public health system. The absence of renal dialysis facilities provided by the
government was the only breach against section 27, meaning that Soobramoney’s
appeal was denied, seeing as there had been no offenses committed against him
in the context of section 27 of the constitution.
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