Disparities in Healthcare and the Millennium Development Goals (Research Paper Sample)

Disparities in Healthcare and the Millennium Development Goals
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The modern society is characterized by social and economic inequalities, which create disparities in terms of access to services by various population groups. One of these disparities is evident in healthcare with respect to people’s ability to maintain good health and access needed healthcare services (Egede, 2006). Healthcare disparities refer to the differences in health and healthcare among population groups, which is determined by ability to stay in good health, afford insurance coverage, access and pay for healthcare services, as well as quality of care. Disparities affect patient outcome since positive outcome is determined by quality of care, which in turn determined by ability to afford quality care. In culturally diverse societies such as the U.S., health and healthcare disparities are exhibited in different dimensions, including age, gender, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, disability status, location, and socioeconomic status. Having higher disparity refers to having a high burden of illness, disability and mortality within a given population relative to another.
Causes of Healthcare Disparities and Vulnerability
Disparities in healthcare are a consequence of global developments that have promoted socioeconomic disparities across various groups of people, which in turn influence their ability to access healthcare services (Egede, 2006). Some of these factors include international migration, urban congestion, and brain-drain from developing countries.
International migration contributes to an increase in the number of immigrants in developed countries, who are then marginalized due to their ethnic/racial status, resulting in ethnic/racial disparities in access to healthcare. Immigrants are vulnerable groups because they lack access to economic opportunities like native citizens, which impact their ability to afford quality healthcare services. Immigrants also have limited access to insurance coverage, which limits their ability to afford quality healthcare (Derr, 2016). In the U.S., for instance, there are disparities between African Americans and White Americans in terms of insurance coverage rates and access to quality care services. At the same time, immigrants are vulnerable to have poor healthy due poor nutrition. Health is a function of different factors other than access to healthcare services. It also involves ability to afford better housing and nutrition. The economic marginalization of immigrants hinder them from affording good housing and nutrition, which results in poor health status compared to other social groups.
Rural-Urban migration contributes to healthcare disparities by creating low-income neighborhoods such as slums, which are characterized by lack of government investment in social amenities (Danis, et al., 2010). For instance , governments commit less resources to slums because slum dwellers are marginalized in terms of representation, which means that they have no voice in the allocation of resources. Consequently, slums and other poor urban neighborhoods tend to have poor healthcare facilities, clean water and sanitation services.
Brain-drain of healthcare professional from developing to developed countries is also a factor in disparities in the 21st century world. The migration of doctors and nurses from third world countries to the industrialized countries deny countries of origin enough healthcare givers. The resulting nurse shortage in developed countries contributes to high patient-nurse ratios. Consequently, citizens in developing countries have limited access to healthcare services compared to those in the developed countries.
Healthcare disparities are significant to policy makers in healthcare because they negatively affect the people facing disparities, as well as limit overall healthcare quality improvements, whilst contributing to unnecessary costs (Chin, et al., 2007). For instance, low-income families are likely to delay seeking medical attention, which contributes to patient acuity when the condition worsens. This is especially relevant in the U.S., where the population is becoming increasingly diverse as a result of international migration, consequently increasing the size of marginalized groups (Ubri & Artiga, 2016). In this regard, it is necessary for federal policy makers in the healthcare sector to take into account healthcare disparities when allocating resources as a way of improving equity in healthcare services.
Secondly, many groups within the low-income brackets are at risk of missing insurance coverage, which will negatively impact access to healthcare services. This situation will make them to experience worse health outcomes on account of lacking the ability to access or afford needed healthcare services. Indeed, Blacks, Hispanics, Alaska Natives and other low-income minority groups in the U.S. are not only likely to be uninsured, but also to lack access to reliable healthcare services.
The Millennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals were broad objectives by the United Nations intended to reduce poverty, disease, hunger, and other form of socioeconomic inequalities, in addition to promoting gender equality, improving healthcare and environmental sustainability. The millennium development goals were part of international efforts to end the social inequality gaps between rich and poor countries, and between upper and low income families. In this regard, the millennium goals are aimed at promoting equality in various aspects of human life by promoting the allocation of more resources to marginalized groups as a way of ending disparities.
As a healthcare professional, I will contribute to upholding of the Millennium Development Goals by engaging in community-based health intervention programs aimed at increasing healthcare access among marginalized groups. I will achieve this goal by becoming a volunteer in outreach programs involved in increasing access to healthcare services in low-income groups. Many groups that face healthcare disparities are victims of an interaction of various factors, which include low income, nurse shortage, and economic marginalization. Consequently, they have limited access to healthcare services because they are unable to pay for needed services. My role in this regard is to help in addressing the negative impact of nurse shortage by volunteering to work with marginalized groups.
Secondly, I will contribute to the advancement of the Millennium D...