Power in communication about healthcare Chapter 12 -Part 2 Power in communication about healthcare

Imbalances of power about healthcare There is a clear imbalance of power between doctor and patient because the patient is dependent on the doctor for treatment or prescription. Doctors introduce themselves as ‘doctor so and so’ when they meet a patient making the patient already conscious of who can help who and cultural differences can exacerbate the power struggle further.

Healthcare as a business The healthcare industry is a huge business – think about the amount of medicinal products on the market! Think medical aid costs! Due to the rapid costs of hospitalization and medical aid there is a significant between those that can afford private healthcare and those that cannot. Due to the high-costs involved the government has proposed the implementation of the National Health Insurance or NHI. The NHI aims to cover all South Africans Strengthen the fight against TB and HIV, non-communicable diseases, as well as injury and violence Improving human-resource management at state-hospitals and strengthening the coordination between private and public health sectors. Regulating costs to make healthcare more affordable Increasing life expectancy from 56.5 years to 58.5 years.

Healthcare as a business The manner in which healthcare is managed in SA produces barriers to many South Africans. The current system does not allow access to healthcare to all South Africans because of socio-economic conditions. The NHI has been criticized for not being feasible. Medical practitioners say they have not been consulted and that there is a move to eradicate private healthcare in the country.

Intercultural ethics and health issues What are the ethics involved in healthcare communication: Dr’s can give information within four frameworks: Strict paternalism – Dr. provides misinformation when thinking it’s in the best interests of the patient. Benevolent deception – Dr. chooses to disclose only a part of the diagnosis and not the whole diagnosis Contractual honesty – telling the patient only what he/she wants to hear Unmitigated honesty – Dr. chooses to tell the patient the entire diagnosis

Some questions for you: What’s your thoughts on forced sterilization? Define euthanasia? What is your opinion of euthanasia?