Access to Healthcare for the Vulnerable Populations

Access to Healthcare for the Vulnerable Populations

Healthcare is a fundamental need to any human being and should be accessible at any time of convenience. However, disparities in the health care industry have resulted in some groups of the population not acquiring health care services in proper time and deaths have been a consequent of this. The vulnerable population includes the economically disadvantaged, the old, racial and ethnic minorities, the elderly, the uninsured, the low income earning children just to mention a few. There are several factors that contribute to their vulnerability such as age, ethnic race, their income and even gender (Lavizzo-Maurey, 2011). Deprivation of provision o health care to the vulnerable groups affects performance in other sectors as well and therefore efforts should be streamlined to eliminate this.

The health care industry ought to lower the cost of accessing medical facilities for the vulnerable population. This is because the vulnerable are dealing with many other challenges in their lives, and low incomes are a major one. Health facilities should not be far away from their residential areas so that the vulnerable do not incur serious transport costs to access medical facilities. Another way of cutting on the cost of medical facilities is by setting policies to allow the vulnerable get medication through insurance. In most cases, insurance to the vulnerable is limited and so these needy people are subjected to expensive treatment that most of them cannot afford. Granting the vulnerable insurance will, therefore, make it easy for them to receive medication, and this will reduce deaths and improve performance in other economic sectors.

Engagement with healthy behavior change is another measure to bridge the gap of healthcare disparity. The vulnerable behavior are burdened with many psychological issues such as inadequate housing, low incomes, negligence and even access to healthy food (Jacobi, Watson, & Restuccia, 2011). Clinicians are trained to be culturally sensitive to patients and to be able to communicate with their patients in psychologically to be able to treat them effectively.  Clinicians, more than other people are well equipped with skills to counsel patients and guide them on how to live positively as this will improve their health conditions. The vulnerable should be guided on lifestyle issues and not be provided with medication only. This guidance will help improve the health condition of the vulnerable and also give them insight on how to engage in positive living for a better future.

Communication forms a foundation for solving issues in society. Studies have revealed that 90{0e601fc7fe3603dc36f9ca2f49ef4cd268b5950ef1bbcf1f795cc00e94cdd119} of the vulnerable population lacks a means of communication with their family and other people (Jacobi et al., 2011). The little they earn goes into house bills and maybe the little food they survive on. With this realization, they should be provided with free mobile phones and also trained on how to use them to make it easy for them call for help whenever need arises and to keep in touch with the care providers.

In conclusion, access to health care for the vulnerable is an issue that needs everyone’s attention in society. The vulnerable population has relatives and friends, and these people should help them access medication rather than throwing them out there to die. Sustenance from the government in the form of finances is also crucial in addressing the issue. Achievement of a healthy population translates to a wealthy population.