Poverty, Resource allocation and Security

Health status is a good measurement of how well a population is thriving. (Michael Marmot. “Social determinants of health inequalities”) Improving overall health is not limited to treatment and prevention of diseases. The influence of social factors plays a big part in determining the overall population health. Some important social factors will be taken into consideration are poverty, resource allocation and security.

Many studies have proven that poverty is a major public health problem. Poverty forces people to live in poor living conditions. Unsustainable housing, condensed and populated living area, less access to clean water, and poor sanitary condition are result of poverty. Many people who live in these neighborhoods are susceptible to disease because of less clean water and living close proximity to people who might have TB or other communicable disease. Poverty is associated with low socioeconomic status (SES). The culture of low socioeconomic status leads to engagement in high-risk behavior, such as alcohol and drug abuse, violence, and poor diet (Chapter 2). People with SES has higher rate of unemployment and poor job skills (Richard Wilkinson, “Socioeconomic determinants of health”). This can lead to stress, tensions and conflicts in family life. Poor job skills can also result in low self-esteem and thus low productivity at work and financial insecurity in life. Therefore, public policy should project at eradicating poverty, which is the root of major problems in the society.

Another social factor that contributes to population health is equal allocation of resources (Chapter 3) (Marmot, “Social determinants of health inequalities). Many countries are still facing the problem of providing equal access to physicians, hospital services and medicines. For example, in British’s NHS, patients are usually placed in long waiting lists for health services. In some cases, access to newer drugs is limited due to higher cost. Underdeveloped nations are short of skilled physicians and facilities. In addition to health care workforce, clean water and nutritious food are scarce resources. Seeing the large inequality of resources and needs of people in third world, Millennium Development Goals set by United Nations, with global partnership, aim to provide the fundamental needs of people in underdeveloped nations and alleviate health disparity within the nations.

The last social factor in this discussion is security. For a nation to thrive there has to be a level of security and protection provided by government. Current instability in Zimbabwe illustrates lack of security and safety, thus causing high violence rate. Unregulated inflation and economy in Zimbabwe forced most citizens to starvation, poverty and finally leading to outbreaks of violence. Without government’s guarantee on jobs, business, or food, the nation faces enormous challenges on safety as well as overall population health. In contrast, developed nation like US see the necessity to enforce laws for safer streets and community, thereby enabling public to engage in exercises and outdoor activities.

Poverty can directly affect nation’s economy and social issues. Allocation of resources and security depend on the hand of policy makers. Therefore, public policy should be aimed at reducing these social inequalities, thereby increasing health condition.