Global Health: repercussions of poverty and economical crisis

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by one of our passionate writers, Mr. Kwabalugu Webakura Albert, a medical student in the University for Development Studies, Ghana.. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not necessarily The European Sting’s position on the issue.

Everybody thinks that what happens in a place different from theirs does not affect them. Now that is where we are wrong. We are connected together one way or the, be it by trade, transportation, education and many other factors.   

This   clearly shows that poverty and economic factors would affect everybody globally.    

Poverty and other economic issues also have on effect not only at a particular place but on everyone in general.  The rules and regulations governing trade and other economical factors are cross country and so affects everyone. This means the effect of these on health affects everyone on a larger scale.

            Recently, in the creation of the humanitarian goals to be achieved with respect to access to healthcare it has clearly shown that poverty driven countries are a long way to reaching those goals. Through technological advancements in the health industries it is expected that health related issues should be easily affordable for all. It is shown that with these advancements some people in countries that are described as developing are unable to access these and even others in developed are also unable to access these facilities. Why? you might ask. It is because of unbalanced social standings in society. It is realized that majority of the world’s population are in the category unable to access these facilities, this affects everyone on a global scale.

Furthermore, due to the monetization of most industries in the world (that is market-driven), it is seen that most individuals who decide to involve themselves in any ventures always aim to gain profit without actually looking out for the effect of these ventures on the world. On a documentary released by France 24 it is realized that major pharmaceutical companies do not use artemisia based products to treat malaria which is cheaper and more available for production. This has caused the price of most of these drugs to be unaffordable to many. It is also seen that after the COVID19 pandemic most industries took a downward spiral affecting the world’s economy. So, it can be seen that people who were already unable to access healthcare were now kept in serious distress after the period passed.

In addition to this, as it is known health is influenced by interactions with various industries that affects all the processes in the provision of healthcare. This factor, makes it harder for people with low economic status to be able to access health. Those with control of most of these major industries have also had problems due to the recent economic crisis and the failure of a lot of businesses. The crisis makes healthcare delivery more expensive. In health facilities in Ghana patients are advised to buy their own equipment that would be used by the hospitals. This means some people would be unable to access these facilities this due to their poor standings.

The current economic crisis has kept a great toll on the health system globally. Newer systems and other interventions must be created to help manage the healthcare systems so that it would not become catastrophic.

About the author

Kwabalugu Webakura Albert is a medical student in the University for Development Studies, Ghana. He has a great passion to manage a lot of health issues affecting his country and the world at large. He loves to read and also write poems as a hobby of his. He very enthusiastic and loves to help people who are going through problems. He also dreams of becoming a cardiovascular surgeon in future as cardiovascular conditions are one of the leasing causes of death across the world. 

One of his most favorite quotes is by Martin Luther King., it says “Life’s most persistent urgent question is: What are you doing for others”