High Mortality Rate in Botswana - Essay Example

? Topic: High mortality rate in Botswana Introduction Botswana is among the fastest growing nations in Africa after attaining independence. It was under the British colony unit 1966 when it attained self governance. The geographic position of Botswana does not support fast economic growth but the country is strategically planned to experience fast both economically and politically (McIntyre, 2010). This makes it a good study resource for the analysis for high mortality rate. The economy of a country, political stability and its demography are directly related to population growth thus the provision of medical care as well as earth services. High mortality rate is influenced by poor medical services and economic instability of a particular state. Geographical location Botswana is a country located in southern Africa. It is a landlocked country as it is surrounded by four countries which hinder its access to large water bodies such as the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. Botswana covers approximately 224,607 square miles. It is located inside the geographical location of the Kalahari Desert. Approximately 73% of the country is a desert as only the eastern portion of the country fall outside Kalahari Desert. The country experiences a semi arid type of climate which consists of warm winters and very hot summers. The topography of Botswana is made up of flat and rolling land. Population The country is scarcely populated because of the large portion covered by the Kalahari Desert. It is made up of a population of 2,003,910 people. The total population of male gender in the country sums up to 1,006,531 while that of the female gender is 997,379. The age structure of the country indicates that the there is low life expectance rate in the nation. Children of age between 0-14 years make up 33.5% of the total population. Young people between the ages of 15-24 years make up 21.9% of the total population. The adult generation of age between 25-54 years makes up 36.4% of the total population. Adults of age between 55-64 years make up 4.2% of the total population. The old a population made up of people who are beyond 65 years make up 3.9% of the total population. The birth rate is estimated at 22.02 births per a population of 1000 people. Death rate is estimated at 12 per a population of 1000 people. Life expectance in Botswana is highly affected by the high rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the country. The harsh desert conditions have also played a role in the current population radar. Infant mortality is another factor that affects the growth in population of Botswana. The total infant mortality rate in the country is estimated at 10.49 deaths per 1000 live births. The male gender takes the larger potion of infant mortality rate as it is estimated at 11.03 deaths per 1000 live births while the female gender is estimated at 9.94deaths per 1000 births. This analysis shows that the life expectance of Botswana is highly attributed to health practices and health services in the country. AIDS is the major course of death in the country. It was declared a national disaster 2003 after Botswana registered the highest rate of HIV/AIDS victims in Africa. These aspects portray the level of poverty in the country thus leading to poor social amenities and the ability to create public awareness. There are four major ethnic groups that sum ups the total population of Botswana. This include: the Twsana, Kalanga, Basarwa and Kgalagardi. Tswana is the most famous and important tribe in Botswana as it makes 79% of the total population of people in the country. The tribes are rich in culture thus partake cultural activities seriously (Horowitz, 2011). According to the culture of most of the tribes in Botswana, natural home birth is considered the best form of child delivery. This promotes the rate of infant mortality cases in the country as the method is prone to dangerous errors. Child delivery process needs the modern medical facilities to ensure a higher percentage chance of survival for the infant as well as the mother. Government The government also has a role to play in relation to infant mortality rates in Botswana. Botswana government has worked hard to ensure that the mortality rate in the country reduces by at a high rate to secure a positive population growth rate in the country. The growth rate of the country has become an area of concern in recent years due to the low production rates in the industrial sector. Low production rates are attributed to population crisis as the country’s population is scarce to provide enough man-power which can effectively increase industrial production (Good, 20008). A high population is made up of children between the age of 0-14 and adults between the ages of 25-54. Young people between the ages of 16-25 do not feature much in industrial production. Increasing the population by reducing infant mortality rate and controlling the level of HIV/AIDS infection among the youth provides a good chance for young people between the ages of 15-25 to participate in industrial building since this is the stage where most people die of HIV/AIDS and other related diseases. The government has joined hands with the United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention to come up with a solution that will help to counter the problem of disease transmission during childbirth. The government is also involved in the provision of health education programs to pregnant women to reduce cases of infant mortality in relation to cultural, religious or tradition practices. More health facilities with enough resources to sustain and reduce the rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the country have also been built. Economy The economy of Botswana has been rising drastically since the country attained its independence from the British colony in 1966. However, infant mortality rate and the HIV and AIDS menace have been one of the major setbacks in industrial development. This is due to the insufficiency of manpower because of the population situation affected by high death rates and a low life expectancy. A large portion of the country is a semi-arid thus requires adequate man power in order to transform it into a productive and industrial land. The Botswana government has therefore focused on advancing health services as well as provision of cheap medical care in order to meet the population target that will steer more economic changes. State of health and culture Sub-Saharan desert is infested with a lot of dangerous diseases such as malaria, esophageal cancer and sexual transmitted diseases. These diseases lead to a high number of registered deaths in countries such as Botswana. Botswana is still a developing country thus provides moderate rather than very high medical care. Disease, violence and accidents are some of highly rated mortality causes in Botswana. These aspects are attributed to the high poverty level in the country as well as desert conditions which are harsh to human sustainability. Most medical centers in Botswana are not equipped with modern machinery to deal with cases like food and snake poison treatment. These accidents occur frequently in the southern parts of Botswana and have led to a massive loss of lives. Tribal wars at the border of Botswana and its neighboring countries have also been a major contributor of mortality rate in the country. Cultural practices are another set of entities that have led to mortality cases in Botswana. Polygamous is popular in this region as men tend to attribute wealth to the number of wives one can poses. This has led to a massive increase of AIDS and sexual transmitted diseases mortality related cases. The belief in traditional medicine above the modern medicine has promoted various cases of deaths resulting from untreated diseases. In this case, culture is also among the leading courses of death in Botswana. Healthcare system and delivery The health system in Botswana is decentralized to district levels. A large percentage of these health units are managed by the government. Most health centers in this country are poorly managed by the local government as they have shortage of qualified personnel (Wolper, 2010). However, the Nurses Association of Botswana has helped in by intervening in the situation. In 2013, over 14,000 nurses have been employed by the local government and posted to health centers all across the country cutesy of the Nurses Association of Botswana. This has enabled the association to meet its annual goal by ensuring nursing profession and nurses play a big role in addressing the health priorities of Botswana. The association ensures that nurses prioritize the needs of patients above their own thus concentrate more on delivering services rather than meeting their own personal interests. Conclusion Apparently, various factors influence the health of citizens in Botswana. These factors include: poverty, cultural practices, harsh climatic conditions and inadequate supply of medical services through modern technology. Therefore, it is hard to meet patient priorities which are acquiring better health services and receiving treatment in an environment that stimulates the recovery process (Haddad, 2008). Nurses in Botswana have been trained and given the obligation to offered adequate services to in and outdoor patients in order to meet the objectives and goals of the Nurses Association of Botswana. References Good K. (2008). Diamonds, Dispossession & Democracy in Botswana: Johannesburg. Jacana Media. Haddad A. (2008). Modern Medicine: Case: How nurses can prioritize care: Pretoria. Advanstar Communications.1 (5). Pp 2. Horowitz, I, L. (2011). Culture and Civilization: Globalism: New Jersey. Transaction Publishers.3 (1). McIntyre C. (2010). Botswana: Okavango Delta, Chobe, Northern Kalahari: London Bradt Travel Guides. Wolper, L, F. (2010). Health Care Administration: Managing Organized Delivery Systems: New York. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Read More