World Health Organization (WHO) works within the United Nations system. WHOs main task is to direct and coordinate the authorities working among health systems. WHO has more than 8000 workers for example from the fields of medicine, public health nursing, scientific research, epidemiology, administration, and economics. These workers come from over 150 countries. Altogether there are 193 member states belonging to WHO. (WHO, 2014.)
WHO is responsible for “providing leadership on global health matters, shaping the health research agenda, setting norms and standards, articulating evidence-based policy options, providing technical support to countries and monitoring and assessing health trends”. WHO has a plan of action in promoting development in developmental countries, defending the health security level, strengthening the health systems, supporting research and
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This brings challenges to WHO. A lot of cultural knowledge and sociological understanding is required to win these challenges. WHO has to acknowledge the ethnohistory of global people before implementing any rules, regulations, or interventions by its own.
WHO has to challenge and address prejudices, discrimination, and unequal behaviors. A lot of respect, trust, and acceptance are needed in the field of health care when discussing about developing and supervising the health care systems in different cultures. Religious habits prevails the health care beliefs and behaviors which has a huge effect on the action of WHO. Religions have to be taken into consideration and mandates should not be broken.
In different parts of the world there are different health challenges which need to be solved. This is nowadays not so strictly so anymore because of increasing globalization, diseases spread and also they become global. WHO has to find out and develop ways to fight against the problems globalization brings with it, and provide consistent ways of
In her brilliant and award-winning book, The Spirit Catches You & You Fall Down, Anne Fadiman skillfully demonstrates the cultural clash between a small county hospital in California, and a refugee family from Laos over the care of Lia Lee, a Hmong child diagnosed with sever epilepsy. Both Lia’s parents, as well as the doctors present, wanted what was best for her. However, the lack of understanding between them led to a tragedy. Fadiman did an outstanding job at demonstrating that cultural understanding is essential but lacking in the modern biomedical system. She successfully illustrated the way hospital bureaucracy often detracts from the desired end results of helping patients get well according to their definitions as well.
The medical field in relation to varied cultural beliefs and traditions is something that is important to many, yet rarely talked about by almost all individuals. In other words, the cultural clashes created in medicalization is under looked by a multitude individuals. This is because many do not experience the hardships first hand. For that reason, the thought of difficulties within treatments of health issues or illnesses does not cross some individual’s minds. Nonetheless, each group of people is unique, in addition to, how they perceive the medical world.
After reading Dr. Galanti 's articles about culturally competent healthcare please answer the following questions: What did you gain from reading Dr. Galanti 's article? Dr. Galanti provides insight into the relationship between cultural diversity and heath care providers. Dr. Galanti’s briefly states the difference between “stereotype and generalization”. The author recognizes that generalization may be a key factor used by workers in the health care community to bring awareness and a better understanding of cultural differences among patients. The article explains that although cultures differ in values, traditions, and beliefs, there are questions (the 4’C’s of culture) that may open up the line of communication, between provider and
5. I have relatives who have only used south Asian home remedies any time they are sick. I’m sure they would prefer a doctor who would be familiar with these remedies and advise them accordingly when helping to treat them. This is just ONE EXAMPLE of the potential need to incorporate cultural competency into healthcare. Do you know anybody that would benefit from the any cultural competency efforts in healthcare?
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, explores cultural competence, ethics in medicine, and the provision of culturally competent health care in the United States by following a family of Hmong culture in their struggles with mainstream U.S. society and healthcare. Fadiman has implemented her studies to highlight the differences between Hmong and Western practices and perspectives on health care, illness, spirituality, and the body. Through her extensive research, Fadiman is able to express cultural differences and the impact ignoring this crucial piece can have. Healthcare in the U.S. is described as the best in the world, but Fadiman is able to highlight the weaknesses this healthcare system has in regards to culturally
Cultural competency can be described as the ability to interact with different cultures in a positive manner. Many cultural differences can become apparent in a number of situations. According to Fadiman, doctors have a moral duty to save lives even if they don’t agree with the values or beliefs of someone else’s culture (1997). This paper will address the topic of cultural competency, with a concentration on the importance of cultural competency in the medical field. It is hard to imagine how frustrating it may be to come across a patient that resists a professional’s opinion because they have solid beliefs or do not understand what doctors are attempting to convey.
The book penned by Anne Fadiman, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down describes about cultural deviation and language barrier with respect to medical beliefs among Hmong natives who migrated to the United States. The story has exhibited the impact on conflicting cultural beliefs with reference to medical care and their interpretation towards Western medical health system (1997). This is a heartbreaking story about Hmong native couple and has a daughter named Lia who is suffering from epilepsy at an early age of 3 months old, which is regarded as a serious medical condition. Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disorder that affects all ages and characterized by unpredictable seizures (Epilepsy Foundation, 2014). However, in the book the disease in itself is no longer a source of urgency to Lia’s parents believe that their daughter’s soul had fled her body and become lost.
This makes it difficult to connect with such diverse cultures and backgrounds. It is; however, very important to have health care providers with cultural competent manners
These cultural expectations could affect relationships with clients and co-workers in the form of their families involvement, body language, gender preferences and so on. It is very important that health workers learn to be innovative and flexible when working with people from other cultural backgrounds. PROJECT 1
Furthermore, they should be aware of the cultures of the patients their facility is serving. It is crucial to maintain cultural competence for yourself and for
Culturally competent nurses advocates for patients regardless of cultural differences. Hollinger-Smith (n.d) “A health care professional who has learned cultural competence engages in assistive, supportive, facilitative, or enabling acts that are tailor-made to fit with individual, group, or institutional cultural values, beliefs, and lifeways in order to provide quality health care” (p. 2). Nurses look to profit from a better health care system and practice mutual respect, formality, thoughtfulness and overall good
This applies to all stakeholders’ groups - investors, business managers, labour, suppliers, consumers, administrative bureaucrats and politicians , government servants, young and old men and women as also all types of organizations - firms, trade associations, civic authorities, civil societies, social and cultural organizations, religious centers, scientific bodies, educational centers, political parties, the military organizations. Those who cannot adapt to the global forces sooner will lose their stability and struggle to survive. Those who adjust and convert global opportunities into strategies that make them stronger and continuously relevant so they deal with the threats from the environment more effectively. Globalization is the main factor of the international business. This is a new era of globalization that brings with it opportunities and also new challenges with the dynamics of a free market.
The term “Globalization” has been in existence for the past 50 years. It is one of the major causes of the increase in international trade. The Oxford Dictionary defined Globalization as “the process by which businesses or other organizations develop international influence or operate on an international scale”. It is a phenomenon that has been in the front burner for several years. Certain individuals opine that it serves as an advantage for the developing countries to compete in the global market while others were of the opinion that it favors the developed countries by making them richer (Giddens, A. 1999).
Contribution to health of a population also derives from social determinants of health like living conditions, nutrition, safe drinking water, sanitation, education, early child development and social security measures. According to major health indicators like immunization of infants, nutrition level in children and women, supplementation of food and its equity among all, India holds the low position compared to even Sub-Saharan African countries and Conflict ravaged countries like Afghanistan and Haiti and even from the neighboring South Asian countries like Bangladesh. (UNICEF Report
Globalization is the method by which business, corporations, individuals start to operate on an international scale. Globalization has empowered monetary advancement, social and political impact. Though globalization is advantageous to the individuals who have worldwide systems while others are barred. The counter globalization development surveys the importance of globalization.