Poverty In Health Care

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Poverty refers to have inadequate monetary funds to meet essential cost of living (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2006). These basic expenses include food, shelter, clothing, transportation and medical care (Stanhope and Lancaster, 2006). Poverty is an issue which affects the health of a population with far reaching implications nurses can often relate to on a daily basis.
The Government of St. Lucia in particular the Ministry of Health, developed “The National Health Strategic Plan (NHSP) 2006-2011 and beyond to chart the course for our health system to address the numerous deficiencies that we currently face through a joint effort on the part of all stakeholders within and beyond the public sector” (p. 5). Central to the approach, is the underlying …show more content…

The National Insurance Corporation also provides sickness benefits for those on sick leave and unemployment cheques to individuals who had been working but have been subsequently unable to work. However these are subject to terms and conditions stipulated by the insurance intuition.
While these initiatives are seemingly good one structural perspective on poverty seems to suggest that the government relief programs such as unemployment insurance and even universal health care facilitate poverty. As cited in Kornblum and Julian (2009) Piven (2004) found that these programs actually serve as barriers to avoid an uprising by the less fortunate to dispute the capitalist system which should otherwise provide equal job opportunities and decent earnings (p. …show more content…

A call for a broad based health plan would greatly assist in helping to meet the health care costs (p. 155). Although the provision of jobs and more sustainable industries can help to cushion out the effects of poverty there will always be a niche of underprivileged individuals if the capitalist system is not eradicated.
References
1. Deloughery, G. (1998). Issues and trends in nursing 3rd edition. St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby Elsevier.
2. Ensign, J, Santelli, J. (1998). Health status and service use: comparison of adolescents at a school-based health clinic with homeless adolescents, Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 151 (8):817
3. Food and Nutrition Security Policy for St. Lucia (2013). Ministry of Health: Castries, St. Lucia
4. Kornblum, W., Julian, J. (2009). Social problems (14th edition). Prentice Hall
5. National Strategic Plan for Health (2006-2011). Ministry of Health: Castries, St. Lucia
6. Stanhope, M. Lancaster, J. (2006). Foundations of nursing in community health: community-oriented practice 2nd edition. St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby Elsevier.
7. Pivet