The Government Responsibility of Healthcare - Assignment Example

Assignment Qn1 Every person is en d to the right to receive health care. In order for any person to remain productive, health is a priority that cannot be forgone. The government has the responsibility of providing healthcare services to its citizens regardless of their religion, political or cultural affiliation (Caulfield & Tigerstrom, 2002). People with poor health conditions have different sufferings that make them live a difficult life. For instance, people sick with cancer or any other fatal disease experiences pain and discomforts. Additionally, there is a more complex situation whereby the patient is overwhelmed by the disease and can develop multiple health related complication. This is evidenced by scenarios where terminally ill patients go to an extent of committing suicide. This is because such people undergo serious psychological problems connected to the illness affecting them. Further, the problem of health matters affects the family members in different ways such as trying to raise funds to cater for hospital bills and the torture of the feeling of hopelessness seeing one of them suffering. In addition, the government is also affected in a way because it is unable to collect tax from sick persons. There is also extended cost when people are sick because the government has to pay for doctors and other facilities used in the treatment of the sick people. In light of these deliberations, it is correct to argue that it is a right to receive healthcare, and which should apply to all people. Qn2 The Canadian charter of rights and freedoms sets out the rights and freedoms that are necessary to all Canadians (Jacob, 2007). One of the rights stipulated in the carter and one that can be used in regard to healthcare provisions is the right to equality. In light of this, all Canadians are expected to be treated equally without any form of discrimination as provided by the law (Jacob, 2007). This right applies to the healthcare setting because some of the instances of discrimination that takes place in healthcare organisations revolve around violation of healthcare services provision. For instance, a doctor failing to treat a patient because he belongs to a different ethnicity is criminal as stipulated in the charter. Some healthcare professionals have in past been accused of offering healthcare services in the lines of ethnicity. In addition, some healthcare organisations have also been accused of employing few female workers even when there are many females who are qualified and without jobs. In a different dimension, some healthcare organisations are allocated few resources, something that makes provision of healthcare services difficult. This is also attributable to regional discrimination and other forms of discrimination. With such deliberations, it is apparent that the charter’s application in the healthcare settings is essential to enhance equality to all Canadians. Every Canadian has the right to receive healthcare services at any place in the country without being discriminated against. This helps in improving the lives of the people and more so, on their health, which is critical and fundamental to all people. Qn3 Respect for the patient In the decision making process, it is critical for any healthcare worker to respect the rights of patient. It is required that the patient be treated with dignity (Ashcroft, 2007). With the increase of the issue of discrimination, it is required that every patient be treated equally without any form of discrimination. Some of the instances where patients are not treated with dignity include when the patient is from a different group of affiliation. When such incidences happen, the reputation of the healthcare center or hospital is tarnished. In addition, it is not ethical for any healthcare worker to treat patients in unethical manner. Acting in the best interest of the patient The primary goal of any healthcare profession is to offer healthcare services to the patient with intent of improving his health condition (Ashcroft, 2007). Therefore, any deeds or acts of healthcare professional are to focus on assisting the patient in the best way they can. Some situations puts healthcare professional at a dilemma on what they should do. The decision they make should be guided by the principle of acting in the best interest of the patient. Allocation of resources justly and fairly Any healthcare profession should ensure that distribution of resources especially to different healthcare organisations is done in a fair manner. This will ensure that there is equality in the services provided to patients across the board. For instance, unfair distribution of resources may lead to less number of doctors in some hospitals thus leading to deaths. Qn4 Competence has been considered to lie at the heart of healthcare professional. It is believed to be the cornerstone on which success of any healthcare profession or organization is built (Srivastava, 2007). The basic concepts of competence include knowledge, behavior and judgment. For instance, any healthcare worker should be in a position to acquire knowledge that helps them to perform their mandates as required. The learning of different skills required in their different departments is critical in ensuring success of the organisation. In demonstrating leadership, the employees must behave in regard to the stipulated rules and regulations that every member of the organisation is required to adhere to. They must lead by examples and portray maturity when attending to their clients. Competence differ from autonomy if different ways. The autonomy requires people to obey and stick to a laid down rules and instructions and adherence of organisation’s policies. For example, a doctor may adhere to the rule that requires them to be in office on time, but lack good behavior, which is counted as part of competence, when attending to his patients. In such a situation, the doctor will have adhered to what the autonomy requires him to do, but lacks competence when he talks rudely to patients. Although the doctor will have treated the patient, the rudeness portrayed denotes on his incompetence. Additionally, if for example a doctor has attended the required number of patients according to organisation’s regulations and fails to offer quality services, this portrays his incompetence in attending to his patients. Qn5 All Canadian nurses are required to commit themselves in the code of ethics during the execution of their duties. The code of conduct requires all nurses to apply ethic in all their operations when attending to patients especially on the decision making process (Srivastava, 2007). The code of ethics is designed to enable nurses to practice ethics and working within the ethical challenges that may arise in the course of executing their duties or when attending to persons receiving care. In regard to making decision on Joan’s case, the nurse should make her decision based on a number of things as expected in the ethical code. First, the nurse should ensure that her decision is based on providing safe, compassionate, and competent ethical care. This should provide the platform on which her decision will be based on. Therefore, this means that the nurse should ensure that whatever her decision is, the decision is informed on the basis of the competence, and ethical care. Although Joan is terminally ill and undergoing a lot of pain and stress especially when she thinks of the pain she is causing to her family, when she says that the nurse should help her in ending the situation, the nurse should not be carried away with these facts when deciding on the best course of action. The second step that should guide the nurse in deciding the decision to make is based on the ethical code that requires nurses to promote health and wellbeing of the patients they are attending to (Srivastava, 2007). This means that the nurse should help Joan in attaining her possible level of health and well being. Therefore, Joan in this case is a bit tricky because it seems that her health has deteriorated and she needs the way out that would end the traumatic experience and probably offer the solution to her worrying family. Perhaps, in her mind, Joan could have been thinking of euthanasia as an option to end her problems. Therefore, the nurse should take her through what is running through her mind in order to understand what she think is the best option to end her problems. However, she should be cautious and professionally explain to Joan on the consequences of all decisions she thinks of and the possibility of applying other options that might work on her. The nurse should then make her decision on the basis of preserving dignity. She should respect the intrinsic worth of Joan. Additionally, the nurse should ensure that the information provided by Joan on the decision she wants to take in ending her problems should remain confidential and maintain privacy. With this in mind, the nurse should ensure that her actions or the decision made to help Joan is in accordance to the law (Srivastava, 2007). For example, the nurse cannot just jump into conclusions that Joan needs euthanasia and goes ahead in administering it. To some extent, such a rush decision amounts to committing murder, which is a criminal act and can put her in trouble. In this regard, the first step towards finding a balanced decision on how to help Joan should start by encouraging Joan that everything will be alright. Then she should subject her to sessions of guidance and counseling in order to assist Joan with her psychological situation that might have led her to think of ways of ending her predicaments. This way, Joan will be in a better position to cope with the situation even when her request on ending her problems is being deliberated upon. The next step involves involving the family members on the decision to make especially if Joan wants euthanasia. This is critical in ensuring that the family members are well informed of the decision made. The nurse should also ensure that Joan family members undergo counseling to enable them understand Joan’s situation and the options of the decisions that can be taken to assist her. With this, the decision could be the one that takes the interest of Joan, her family and the nurse at a balance. For instance, if Joan could have been by some means meaning that she wanted euthanasia, proper counseling and encouragement could make her understand that although her problems would be solved by ending her life, the agony of their families would persist especially configuring that euthanasia is equal to committing murder by the nurse or committing suicide by Joan. Therefore, a different option such as continued therapy and good care could work for her. References: Caulfield, T. & Tigerstrom, B. (2002). Health care reform & the law in Canada: meeting the challenge. Edmonton [Alta.]: University of Alberta Press. Ashcroft, R. (2007). Principles of health care ethics. Chichester, West Sussex, England; Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Jacob, J. (2007). Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms: democracy for the people and for each person. Victoria, B.C.: Trafford. Srivastava, R. (2007). The healthcare professionals guide to clinical cultural competence. Toronto: Mosby Elsevier. Read More