Healthcare Assignment: Inequity In The Treatment Of Some Australians

Question

Task: Write an Op-Ed (opinion-editorial) that allows you to demonstrate an understanding of how issues relating to the dignity of the human person and the realization of the common good may be addressed by you in your professional practice now and in the future. You will need to select one issue from the list below that relates to the degree program you are studying and write a concise but persuasive opinion piece on this issue relating to the dignity of the human person and the realisation of the common good that relates to your professional practice now and in the future

List of issues: Inappropriate prescribing of medications Affordable housing for all

• The role of education and the challenge of achieving respectful and polite public debate Disability and the workplace
• Wage theft (or unfair pay)
• Closure of libraries (e.g., in schools, institutions, communities) or the destruction of books Media bias
• Ghost writing and fraud
• Wasteful water usage
• Foreign (non-democratic) powers spying on Australian institutions and communities or channeling funds to institutions in universities and/or political parties
• Political ads on social media which are not fact-checked before publication
• Inequity in the treatment of some Australians (contexts: health, education, law, business, etc.).

Answer

Topic: Inequity in the treatment of some Australians
According to Rodriguez, (2015), healthcare centres play a vital role in mitigating any health-related issues as they specifically function to treat outbreaks of diseases while handling them so that it cannot lead to cause any major loss. In the matter of Australian healthcare centres, Australian government are majorly responsible for overseeing the health issues of publics while aiming in rendering equality in healthcare services so that all the class and cast of Australian people can sustain easy accessibility to healthcare services. From the survey, it has been evaluated that nearly 47% of the Australian population covers private healthcare services which are relatively not affordable by middle and lower-class people. Hence, 53% of the remaining relies on the government healthcare centre, which has been evidenced to fail in rendering effective and accurate services to the patients.

It has been evaluated that in Australia there are diverse factors that huddle general class people to sustain access for primary healthcare service, poor health condition, infection or even major loss of death (Freeman et al., 2016). The gigantic difference in the treatment process of public and private, unaffordability, political structure along with unequal distribution of income is identified as a major reason behind the inequality of healthcare treatment in Australia. Expertise doctors do not show any interest to contribute and support low-class society in improving their general health condition. Hence, the doctors appointed in the public healthcare centres are either not experienced or do not put efforts in curing patients.

According to O'Neil & Watts, (2015), human dignity is a concept that defines once self-respect and self-worth. The main objective of human dignity is to protect human rights. As per the above discussion, it has been evaluated that if the humans are unable to sustain primary healthcare facilities and service to mitigate common health issues, the concept of human dignity is not found to be associated. However, human dignity renders significance in aspects to ethical, political, laws along with morality. Thus, it can be determined that as the middle and low society belonging people are not even getting support to sustain primary healthcare service, human dignity in that particular country is not valued.

The common good principle refers to the facilities provided by the community members for the fulfilment of the common relational obligations that are possessed by all for particular interests (Pols, 2016). The facilities relate to institutional or cultural or materials and these are considered about the social, economic and political situations. It has been identified that political efforts can stimulate social development (Herr, 1991). Therefore in the case of unequal health care treatment in Australian hospitals and other healthcare centres specifically to the indigenous and Torres Strait Islander people, the principle of the common good can be applied. The subsidiary principles state that when particular issues or problems are unmanageable, a delegation of the higher authority can be given greater priority. This can also be significant in the healthcare system for the elimination of the inequity for some Australians.

The issues or complications that have been identified about the healthcare system in Australia, lead to the generation of a poor health condition in the minor classes in the country. It has been identified that the actualization of the common good and human dignity is negatively influenced by certain unequal behaviour within the healthcare centres and hospitals in Australia. Being a human it is my responsibility to care for others who are not able to claim for accessing healthcare treatment in the health centres and hospitals. In addition to it, my role as a student nurse also makes me liable to take the responsibility to become aware of individuals so that they express their rights for accessing healthcare treatment. During my study as a student nurse, I have learnt the catholic social theory that explains concerns regarding human dignity and the common good in the community. It also depicts the essence of social justice which is important for the maintenance of equality within the community (Galligan-Stierle, 2014). I think that the knowledge of the catholic social thought and the common good principle would help me to address the issue and support the common good for all in the healthcare system. As a nursing student, I have learnt to respect people from different social, racial and economic background and I believe that it is the duty of me as a nursing professional to sacrifice my interests so that the needs of the other people can be addressed.

References
Freeman, T., Baum, F., Lawless, A., Javanparast, S., Jolley, G., Labonté, R., ... & Sanders, D. (2016). Revisiting the ability of Australian primary healthcare services to respond to health inequity. Australian Journal of Primary Health, 22(4), 332-338.
Galligan-Stierle, M. (2014). A Vision of Justice: Engaging Catholic Social Teaching on the College Campus. Liturgical Press. Herr, T. (1991). Catholic Social Teaching a Textbook of Christian Insights.
O'Neil, C., & Watts, T. (2015). Two Futures: Australia at a Critical Moment. Text Publishing.
Pols, J. (2016). Analyzing social spaces: Relational citizenship for patients leaving mental health care institutions. Medical anthropology, 35(2), 177-192.
Rodriguez, P. A. (2015). Human dignity as an essentially contested concept. Cambridge Review of International Affairs, 2