Problem Identification - Case Study Example

Running Head: Problem Identification in the Healthcare Sector of Module Assignment 1 Healthcare Sector: As the old Arabian proverb states, “He who has health has hope. And he who has hope has everything,” (Proverb), health is truly a blessing in a world dominated by hunger, poverty and famine. Therefore, when talking about this important sector, there are many problems associated with the sector, which cross one’s mind. These can include hygiene problems in hospitals, inadequate training of the nursing staff, shortage of emergency facilities in hospitals and so forth.

However, in my personal opinion, the most basic problem faced by the healthcare management today is that of the provision of primary healthcare facilities, particularly in the capacity of disaster management. Disaster Management and the provision of Primary Healthcare: Disaster management encompasses a wide array of emergency situations including civil defense, civil protection, crisis management, homeland security etc. (Emergency Management, 2011). The time frame for which the services of Disaster Management teams are employed in a particular area is known as the transition period.

This transition period is not only one of physical loss rather the victims are often emotionally drained by the losses they suffer as an outcome of the disaster. It is during this time that the victims need maximum healthcare facilities that guarantee their well being. The provision of primary healthcare facilities requires the building up of strategic national and international partnerships, which unfortunately does not seem to be the priority of Public Policy developers (Mortier, Bullen, & Guillouzic, 2010, Volume 3).

Usually, the standard methodology of disaster management aims at utilizing international help of various NGOs and specialized disaster management units in the earlier stages of the transition period, however once the primary phase is completed, the strategy is modified to one that banks on the resources of the host country so that it is able to continue it further with some monetary assistance from the International Aid agencies, as in the case with the recent floods in Pakistan and the earthquake in Haiti (Mortier, Bullen, & Guillouzic, 2010, Volume 3).

This results in a sharp decline in the standard of primary healthcare provision, since the standard of the services provided by internationally trained staff and those of the local paramedics of third-world countries cannot be paralleled. The role played by NGOs such as the American Red Cross in humanitarian aid is vital and it is the lasting partnerships which the host countries can make with these International Organizations, which can pave the way for sustainable disaster management in developing countries (Mortier, Bullen, & Guillouzic, 2010, Volume 3).

Role of Federal Governments: This issue of the need for efficient and a long-term commitment to disaster management was raised by Congressional Research Service’s report published in February 2011. The repost focuses on Medical Emergency Management Issues and highlights the central role that federal governments can play in designing adequate policies for the improvement of disaster management and identifies the pivotal role which the private sector can play, since in most instances, it is more efficient than the public sector.

Some of the facts are actually very alarming and it is surprising how they have managed to avoid the scrutiny of health sector critics. Such facts include the lack of interest on part of the congress to allocate funds to the Public Health Emergency Fund, that too when the incidence of natural calamities is on the rise. Moreover, it seems hard to believe that there are no programs designed to cover the costs incurred by uninsured healthcare disaster victims (Lister, February, 2011). Conclusion: The facts stated above highlight an issue of pressing concern, we normally talk about the level of education of the hospital staff, the level of hygiene and flawed infrastructure of a hospital, but seldom do we talk about the treatment and requirements of those who lose their loved ones in a disaster and are consequently, themselves vulnerable to the attack the many diseases that pervade the post-disaster environment.

Therefore, I believe adequate disaster management and the need for federal policy reforms regarding a proper framework of disaster management are the essential problems faced by the healthcare sector, particularly in the world of today with the ever increasing instance of natural calamities. Works Cited Emergency Management. (2011, April 19). Retrieved April 21, 2011, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_management Lister, S. A. (February, 2011). Public Health and Medical Emergency Management: Issues in the 112th Congress.

Washington, DC: Congressional Research Service. Mortier, S. D., Bullen, R., & Guillouzic, H. l. (2010). Support to Primary Healthcare in Transitional Situations: Lessons Learned from the Field. The Open Health Services and Policy Journal, Volume 3, 123-140. Proverb, A. (n.d.). Daily Quotes. Retrieved April 20, 2011, from Quotations Book: http://quotationsbook.com/quote/19478/#axzz1K5zqNOGu