To some extent, I’d like to blame the healthcare system because in some parts of the world, healthcare is a luxury to the average citizen. In Ghana here, healthcare is very expensive. Public hospitals which are supposed to provide the best healthcare to everyone are those that provide the worst healthcare. Instead one treating patients rightly, most doctors in public hospitals prefer to rather refer their patients to their own private hospitals for the profit of it all. Speaking of good health, it’s advisable that we all go for general body check up at least once in six months. This is to make sure all is well with you because some conditions can be latent for years.
Over the years, the issue of preventive care has become a recurring topic among the general public. I’ve seen and heard of parents who refuse to give their babies vaccinations because they have their own beliefs and thoughts on that. There’s also those who refuse as much as blood transfusions even in the case of an emergency due to their beliefs also which I totally understand and respect. We all have what we stand by and it’s not up you as a healthcare officer to judge.
There was a case where parents refused to grant permission for their young child to receive blood after losing a lot of blood. They were actually ready to lose their child because and as healthcare providers, you’d have to intervene by calling the social services and letting them take care of that. Social services came it, took the case to a judge and at the end of the day, the judge gave the go ahead for the child to be given the blood. Today, this kid is up and well. In a situation where he was old enough to make his or her own decisions, he’s have decide what he or she would do but in a situation where you’re underage, you stand the chance of having other decide whether you life or die.
Honestly, this topic is a subjective one and I don’t think I’m in the best position to judge or decide. But it’s worth noting that, everyone one deserves the chance at life and no one should try to deny them that based on beliefs. Sometimes we have to consider the intensity of the situation and make logical decisions because in that moment, someone’s life is in your hands and you sure won’t want to be the one responsible for messing it up. It can be a tough choice to make but there is only one right choice and that decisions lies in your hands. Prevention they say is better than cure.
all images belong to me.
