Pregnant Women with HIV Infections in South Africa - Research Paper Example

? Pregnant Women with HIV Infections in South Africa The issue of women suffering from HIV/AIDS in the contemporary society is one that has had many debates and concerns. This is majorly from the fact that the loss of a mother during her pregnancy leads to the loss of the unborn child too. The paper discusses the issue at length stating the ways through which the country has committed itself to ensuring that these women receive the amount of care that they deserve. There is also the review of articles from the foreign land to understand the various aspects involved in the rather broad topic. HIV/AIDS is a disease that has had its implications on society in a very vast manner especially over the last two decades. The disease came to prominence around the year 1987 and since then the number of infections have been on the steady rise. The disease is spread through very many distinct ways. There is the spread of the disease from having many sexual partners, the sharing of sharp objects with a person already infected with the virus and finally yet importantly, there is that of pregnant women transferring the disease to their unborn babies. This paper will be very clear in expressing the issues faced by pregnant women with HIV/AIDS and the various manners through which society observes and treats them. It is important to look at this issue because there is a lot of stigma around concerning these women. South Africa views the problem of these women in various perspectives and offers the best that it can through the healthcare system to ensure that they receive the amount of care they require. The problems faced by these women are widespread and are all across the world but South Africa has a rather larger number. However, the different manners through which the healthcare organizations look at them is very important. One of the very important aspects of the issue that South Africa health system focuses on is the counseling of these women so that they cannot feel left out or rather feel weird (Brent, 2010). The women receive treatment in a manner through which they receive the best medical care because there is also the focus on the health condition of the unborn child. The screening of the women is rather imperative for the research of other health issues that may make them weaker. When a person has HIV/AIDS, the white blood cells that are responsible for the guard of the body do not function correctly. It is for this reason that any other health condition is supposed to be given a priority to ensure that the women do not suffer a lot. This was study carried out by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. South Africa also takes the issue rather seriously from the manner in which medical practitioners offer the required prophylaxis. The government has a major role to play in this because there are many countries that have bills that have the family of the HIV/AIDS infected patient carrying the burden of paying the bills for the medication. The medication is very important as it assists in the healing of Opportunistic Infections. These infections were reported to have killed around 37% of all pregnant HIV/AIDS patients in South Africa over the period between 1990 and 2000. The analysis made it very important for the government to bring in a program that ensured that the deaths resulting from these infections reduced (Adams, 2011). The issue of HIV/AIDS is taken in a rather serious manner in South Africa from the number of bills that are passed regarding the issue. One of the bills passed ensured that among all the necessary tests taken by pregnant women when being admitted to hospitals, HIV/AIDS becomes one of them (Adams, 2011). The first step taken is immunization that also assists in protecting the unborn child from contracting the disease. The reason as to why the government decided to make a priority while handling pregnant women is from the manner through which parents’ health state in their pregnant period. Further studies showed that the reason as to why this was present is that they did not receive the required care as compared to the other women without the disease. The death of the women also led to the death of their unborn children and the census taken in the year 2000 showed a very large number of deaths during childbirth. A significant number of these cases had HIV/AIDS as their main cause. The country made 25 years in the line of HIV/AIDS testing for pregnant women this year. However, statistics from the country show that the number of women dying and infected with HIV/AIDS during their pregnant periods has been steadily on the rise. The government has made very drastic efforts to reduce this rate though the rate has not been decreasing and it just of the current years that the health ministry stated that it was welcome for advice from different people and countries in an effort to reduce the rates. One of the strategies that the country has taken in ensuring that the number of HIV/AIDS related deaths decrease is by the introduction of antiretroviral therapy. Scientists to be very functional in that the number of deaths in other countries has decreased vastly and Africa, which is the most hit by continent, being one of them, have stated this form of therapy. Initially, various institutions in the country had carried out tests on the antiretroviral drugs and stated that they did not meet the health conditions of South Africa. Due to this, they had ignored the usage of the drugs despite the recommendation and warning of the World Health Organization. Failure to use the drugs has been rather a scourge to society rather than a positive effect and thus the recent decision to bring in the therapy to the country (Denise, 2011). Another manner through which the government has dedicated to the resolution or rather the reduction of the effect is by Patient Education. This is majorly performed by the CHN who have the responsibility of spreading the news to different parts of the country ranging from slums to developed areas. The first step that these officers have taken with regard to this is through the use medical practitioners units such as PHN and is responsible for ensuring that there is the training of health personnel on the issue of HIV/AIDS in pregnant women and spreading the word. Various institutions have been opened around the country major in the training. After the training, it is important for the trainees to teach the pregnant women of the various important steps that they should follow. The carrying out of this is by advising them to avoid various health compromising substances such as alcohol and cigarettes. Previous research shows that the word of mouth has not been effective and thus the country has introduced various classes that are taught by showing the actual implications of the substances to the body and to the child. The teaching is through movies projected in various halls in health institutions in an effort to educate the patients. From going through the entire information, I was able to gain an in-depth understanding of the disease and various issues involving it. Various authors go further to describe characteristics of the disease with relation to the environment of the victims. I found that very edifying in that it may help people with relatives or friends with the condition recognize the problem. It is also important to go through HIV in relation to young children. Over the years, the condition has occurred more in young children and this is common when these children get the disease from there infected mothers during pregnancy. This hence makes it important to address the manner through which children with the disease ought to receive quality care. The fact that the doctors have always advocated the opening of specialized hospitals was inspirational; however, I found this rather unappealing provided the shortage of funds and the difficult economic times the country is going through. It is thus important for the government of the country to cut down on unnecessary spending and consequently have these children acquiring quality care. Mothers with HIV in South Africa should also ensure that they take regular medication in an effort to protect their unborn children from acquiring the disease. Upon birth, these parents should visit hospitals with the aim of understanding whether their kids are infected. This is vital because within the first few days of a child having this disease upon birth, they can easily get cured. The field of medicine and nursing is one of the most important fields that any society, in this case South Africa with the aim of developing should have as a priority. This is because without healthcare, it is impossible for the population to lead a focused life. Over the years, numerous cases involving HIV have come to light whereby doctors and the entire healthcare system have shown negligence in their work. This is from the manner through which they carry out the practice. It is thus important to go through one of the healthcare liabilities that have portrayed this and understand the types of effects that it has. In the case of mothers with HIV in South Africa, one of the liabilities witnessed is Absolute Liability. This is the type of liability where the blame falls on the manufacturers of certain products. Some patients may get permanent disability from the malpractice of the manufacturers of the anesthetic that was supposed to ease the pain, this is from the fact that patients with HIV in South Africa live in deplorable conditions and consequently are prone to other diseases if miscalculation is done with regard to medication accordance (Peters, 2011). The liability here lays on the company because if there were the presence of the sedative, the patient would have gone through a successful surgery on the night of admission that could have had a rather great role in preventing the problems that arose from delayed surgery or other medication in the case of a caesarian section. The company should have produced the anesthetic in large enough amounts to assist in times of emergency such as in that case. Another liability type presented in this case is Vicarious Liability. This is the type of liability where mostly the person who receives the blame for the occurrence of a risk is the employee due to negligence and malpractice. The doctors may leave the patient after carrying out just an X-Ray and may not tend to the procedures laid down by the health care act of 2011 where the doctor is not supposed to abandon a patient without redirecting him to another healthcare facility with the required resources (Peters, 2011). In this case, the doctor should take responsibility for negligence. Contributory negligence or rather joint Liability is another form of malpractice witnessed in the case of HIV patients in South Africa. This is the type of liability where both the defendant and the plaintiff are guilty of the risk occurrence (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2012). As stated before, it is the responsibility of the doctor in charge at the time to redirect the patient to another health facility or rather seeks an alternative anesthetic to assist the patient who was in pain and in need of surgery or any other assistance. However, the guardians of the patients should also ask the doctor for assistance in terms of finding another hospital where they could have taken their relative and possibly get the required medical assistance deemed necessary. Negligence cases in the South African healthcare sector are among the issues that have hit the legal sector in a rather hefty manner. With continued ignorance of the certain constitutional and ethical rights, it is rather difficult for a society to develop effectively. Human life should have priority and hence the importance of understanding the certain liabilities and the respective person who should take the responsibility in case of negligence. Radcliff, J. (2009) International HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: Key Changes to South African Programs and Funding. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health, 3(27), 74-76 There are very many articles that are published in an effort to offer more insight on the issue for both the practitioners and the rest of the population that may be involved in the understanding the issues in this field. One of the articles is International HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: Key Changes to South African Programs and Funding. This is an article that was written by one of the very talented and informed nurses in the South African health system, James Radcliff. The study was carried out in a quantitative manner in an effort to show the lengths in terms of the funding that the government goes to solve the issue. The article talks about the financing of the health system and focuses on various major issues in the diseases stated. On the issue of HIV/AIDS, the article states that the government has made an effort of ensuring that a 33% increase in healthcare budget accorded goes to the women infected with HIV/AIDS (Radcliff, 2009). The article states that in depth research should be carried out on the women in an effort to find out the history of the families as only 20% of practitioners assess their patients effectively. This is because some diseases may not superficially reveal themselves but rather require scrutiny to understand. These minor diseases outburst to greater diseases and have a larger effect on the women later in the pregnancy. Peters, J. (2011). International Travel on Women with HIV/AIDS. Families , Systems and Health, 2(13), 11-12. The number of articles in South Africa that describes the issue of HIV/AIDS in women is large. One other article that describes this is International Travel on Women with HIV/AIDS. The article is quantitative and focuses on the number of women that have complications while travelling to other places. While focusing on women with the disease, it is important to recognize that not all the pregnancies are completed. Some pregnancies spontaneously get terminated through miscarriages. 73% of reasons for having miscarriages is the unstable conditions of the mother. The above can be experienced while travelling and the mothers may get shocked from the travelling (Peters, 2011). It is also important to recognize that women who are especially travelling by air heighten health risks. It is general recognition that airplanes do not offer the best health conditions as the women already weakened by the disease in their bodies they may get further and complicated issues while travelling. Studies carried out in the year 2008 showed that more than half of the pregnancy complications that happen in flight do not get proper attention due to inadequate experienced medical personnel and equipment. Jacobs, D. (2011). Community Support and Disclosure of HIV/AIDS Serostatus to Family Members. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health, 5(36), 821-833. Another publication found is one that talks about the community and family and their view on the issue of pregnant women with HIV/AIDS. The article called Community Support and Disclosure of HIV/AIDS Serostatus to Family Members goes very far to explain the issue of the disease in pregnant women. The article is written in an effort to identify the role of the community in dealing with women with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. The study is qualitative and states that women suffering from HIV/AIDS and pregnant have very many problems in dealing with the issue (Jacobs, 2011). This is from the fact that the community views these women as sinners. It is important to understand that these women are just like the other ordinary women and that the disease should not change that fact by any means. CHN officers in South Africa have an important role to play here provided the fact that people listen to them due to their professional knowledge and thus should create awareness to these people on the importance of support. The community should watch and take care of the pregnant women and ensure that they receive the amount of care that they require for the efficiency of the pregnancy. The community treats the families of the pregnant women in a rather cruel manner. Many communities are of the notion that pregnant women with the disease should abort the child rather than having an innocent child bearing the burden of constant treatment from a young age. It is from this that the article explains that there are very many upcoming trends in the field of nursing such that the protection of the unborn child is achievable. Moreover, the article states that the family of the patient should offer all forms of support because the patient is particularly weak emotionally, physically and mentally. Siegfried, N. (2012). Micronutrient Supplementation n Pregnant Women with HIV Infection. Journal of Cognitive Psychology in Relation to Medical Science, 7(35), 16- 17. Siegfried Nobert is one author who has done a lot of research in the field of pregnant women with HIV/AIDS in South Africa. His article is Micronutrient supplementation in pregnant women with HIV infection is another qualitative study to show importance of diet to pregnant women. The author focuses on the health issues of women in terms of the health care measures that be accorded to these women in an effort for them to go through their pregnancy without should any problems. One of the problems that he states to affect very many women is micronutrient deficiency. In addition, the brain is well bound to offer more lactation with the knowledge of a well-prepared and healthy meal (Siegfried, 2012). The doctor states that many people in South Africa do not pay attention to the types of food that they offer to the pregnant women and this is due to mere negligence citing that the country has poor infrastructure. Nobert’s study based in South Africa explains that the country is one of the countries in Africa with the highest number of people suffering from HIV/AIDS. The author goes ahead to state that the health of the mother and the unborn child majorly depends on the efforts of the women to take the diet. Micronutrients are not only important for the mother but also for the baby as he receives proteins and vitamins needed for development through the mother. PHN officers are requested to take their work seriously and let the public in general recognize that infrastructure is not an excuse for poor health planning and that it is rather important to have the priority based on the wellbeing of people. HIV/AIDS is a disease that has taken the lives of very many people of the years. One of the most hit populations is the pregnant women. The understanding of the manner through which these women ought to receive treatment is vital. This is from the fact that lack of proper medical care may lead to increased health complications. Moreover, there are very many steps and factors that the women should consider in self-care. With the observation of these factors, the number of complications from the disease is bound to decrease steadily. References Radcliff, J. (2009) International HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria: Key Changes to U.S. Programs and Funding. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health, 3(27), 74-76. Siegfried, N. (2012). Micronutrient Supplementation n Pregnant Women with HIV Infection. Journal of Cognitive Psychology in Relation to Medical Science, 7(35), 16- 17. Jacobs, D. (2011). Community Support and Disclosure of HIV/AIDS Serostatus to Family Members. International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health, 5(36), 821-833. Peters, J. (2011). International Travel on Women with HIV/AIDS. Families , Systems and Health, 2(13), 11-12. Adams, T. (2011). Care of HIV Infected Pregnant Women. Retrieved on 9th April 2012 from http://www.aidsetc.org/aidsetc?page=cg-403_pregnant_women#S2X Brent, R. (2010). Setting priorities for HIV/AIDS interventions: a cost-benefit approach. Massachusetts: Edward Elgar Publishing. Denise, W. (2011) .Integrated Behavioral Intervention to Improve HIV/AIDS Treatment Adherence and Reduce HIV Transmission. American Journal of Public Health, 3(27), 531-538. Stanhope, M & Lancaster, J. (2012) Public Health Nursing, Population-Centered Heath Care in the Community, 8th ed., Maryland Heights, MO; Elsevier Mosby. Read More