Integrated Clinical Clerkship in Emergency Medicine AY 2021- 2022

It is very unfortunate that there are people who are suffering and dying due to diseases which should be treatable, but not managed due to lack of access to healthcare. In addition, they also lack information regarding their diseases, making them believe that these are just simple cases but are in fact, very complicated.  For example in the documentary, Lowen, the person diagnosed with TB at the age of 12, was forced to be in quarantine for 10 years because his disease was perceived to be a curse by the community. They also believe that food supplements and coffee can treat his condition. This documentary highlights the lack of facilities and infrastructure in these areas. Although there are available ambulance vehicles, the roads could not be fixed due to limited budget. There are hospitals but their personnel are lacking. We can see the effects of limited funding and poor resource allocation by the government. The infrastructures and roadworks are simply a political front for the people. Most health workers choose to work in urban areas due to minimum pay and benefits. We need to educate the community so that they can be capable of solving health-related problems. We need to provide them information regarding basic life support, and other necessary knowledge regarding common diseases. Health workers should be encouraged to work in rural communities by giving them better opportunities like increasing their pay and benefits. Lastly, we need to elect government officials who are willing to change the current system and strengthen primary health care.