Healthcare in this Pandemic
Every job is at risk in this pandemic, and some are more dangerous than others. People are expected to stay safe and follow the guidelines provided to the maximum. Many healthcare providers are facing a risk because their jobs do not allow them to follow the guidelines and are thus faced with high risks. If the health care providers, doctors, the covid 19 if they come into contact with a lot of patients or get into contact with their respiratory secretions.in this pandemic, there have been great numbers of infected health workers and the number of deaths is gradually increasing in the whole world. The health care providers are using the personal protective equipment’s while handling patients and this, in turn, reduces the risk of them getting infected
The healthcare providers also have to take care of their loved ones and the fear of carrying the virus to them. This is challenging as they might opt to stay away from their family members rather than put them at risk. There is also a challenge that the personal protective equipment’s that lower the risk of infection may be less or short in supply. This means that they will have to check on the patients without protection, and this will increase the risk. As a healthcare provider, their profession is to serve others, and during a pandemic, it is hard to balance their commitment to help others and take care of others.
During this pandemic, healthcare providers have a risk of making a lot of unethical decisions with an aim to save lives/. At times the equipment used to save lives of patients with Covid 19 may be in short of supply, and thus, as a doctor or nurse, there is a need to make a decision on who to attend to. At times it will look like there is favouritism, but the truth of the matter is it is a hard decision to make.
Although healthcare providers are faced with these challenges, they have to find a way in which they can cope with them. Covid 19 is a respiratory disease, and this involves a lot of risk than other pandemics like HIV/AIDs. Healthcare providers have proved to be dedicated to their works and to save a life. They have been reporting to their work as usual and even when called for an emergency.
Healthcare providers have been working for long hours, and even spending sleepless nights, and there have been videos and images in the social media showing how they have been sacrificing and putting their lives at risk. They have been following their professional and government guidelines on keeping safe by ensuring that they use the right equipment. This has then helped them in their working situations and also reducing the risk of them being infected by the virus,
Healthcare providers are also not willing to risk the lives of their loved ones at any cost. This has seen then moving out and living at the different houses from that of their loved ones. In this, they have reduced contact, and through social media platforms, they are able to communicate with them. This is not as easy as it seems, but rather, they have taken the challenge to ensure that they save lives and help the world fight the pandemic. They have also tried to comer up with improvised ventilators to help in case there is a shortage and the numbers of the infected increase. There is a need to salute the health workers for their sacrifice and efforts they put into bringing the pandemic to an end.
Challenges faced by the health workers during the pandemic
The health workers system i9s faced a lot of challenges in every pandemic. Their commitment to work may be affected and, in turn, risk the lives of the sick and their loved ones. Taking an oath and committing to saving lives is a big thing, and one has to only work to save humanity. Despite all these challenges, there are also some measures that are put in place so to help cope and solve the problems. The challenges are as discussed in this paper, and they might be a personal level and also in the group of all the health workers.
In every pandemic, it is a challenge to deal with all the stress and trauma, especially when there is a high number of deaths.it is not easy to see some die in your own hands and the services your lender is not of help. This causes a lot of stress, trauma, and regrets, and it requires a lot of counselling to be able to deal with it. It may cause a serious life issue in someone’s life, and they might even commit suicide. There are also chances that the number of health workers may lower as most will choose to leave their jobs and secure their lives. The fear of being infected with the disease in question will also rise, and the fear will consume most of the potential health workers.
Health workers face a lot of discrimination when it comes to dealing with pandemics. This is because people will fear to associate with them with the fear of being infected. Having health workers work in isolation and not to be close to their family members, and loved ones may make them not easily adapt to their work. There are chances that their family members will disown then in fear of contracting the disease. There are cases in which not everyone can handle themselves, and they need encouragement and a strong heart to survive the pandemic.
The health workers during pandemics work for long hours and tirelessly to ensure that their lender the required services and save people’s lives. In the event, they are exposed to burnouts, and this will affect their delivery of services. The lack of sleep and rest will affect them at the individual and group levels. This can only be managed by having the health workers work in shifts so they can have some rest and sort their issues. At times working under pressure may be fruitful, but in situations that involve saving lives, it may cost other lives to save lives.
The community affected by the pandemic may be ignorant and may not follow the guidelines given to them. In the Covid 19 pandemic, people are advised to wash their hands regularly, use facemasks, and practice social distancing. These are the measures that one has to practice from an individual level even before the community comes in. it requires self-discipline to fight the pandemic, and to those who take the issues lightly, the chances are that they will contract the disease and without knowing. The health workers will have a difficult time trying to explain to the concerned people why it is necessary to do so, and they will face a challenge if the people are uneducated and not willing to take the instructions. When this happens, the government may use force and have lockdown and curfew put in place. This will lead to people suffering as their businesses will suffer.
The health workers may face a challenge when it comes to the supply of items required to help solve the pandemic. A pandemic requires preparation, and new equipment needs to be acquired to help find the pandemic. There is thus need to have enough equipment’s, but with the rising number of risks involved, there are chances that the pandemic may threaten the preparedness of the health facilities. Not all health facilities have the required equipment, and even the manpower who are aware of what needs to be done and thus, a shortage of equipment and even labour may pose a great challenge to the health workers.
Motivation is key in every sector, and thus the healthcare workers need to be motivated to help them cope with this pandemic. A problem may arise if they are not motivated by the work they are doing-especially if the number of people exposed to these diseases increases. The health workers will be demotivated if the people in the community do not adhere to the guidelines given, and they will thus not have the required morale to work. The health workers are urging the community people to stay indoors so they can help manage the pandemic. If people ignore this, then the chances of health workers putting their tools down are high as they feel unmotivated and not encouraged for the work they are doing.
These challenges experienced by the health works and will I turn to affect the measures taken to counter the pandemic. Each country has to come up with the required measures and also adhere to the measures put in place by the World Health Organization in plea to curb the pandemic. Through the health workers and the willingness and commitment by the community, then it becomes easy to handle the situation and have fewer people affected. The health workers need to be appreciated and acknowledged as they are putting their lives at risk to save lives.
Measures put in place by the World Health Organization
The Covid 19 pandemic is straining the health workers worldwide. In this case, there is a need for clear measures to be put in place and help curb and live through the pandemic. Through clear consultation with the various authorities and putting all factors into consideration, then the measures will work properly and let people live through it.
Who has advised the affected countries to brace themselves and identify the essential health services that should be rendered to people and in this case, help major in the pandemic. The hospitals are way likely to be clouded as when people have mere signs of having the disease. There should thus be helplines established for people to call for help in case of emergencies. People are encouraged not to visit the health centres as this is not the right time unless it is an emergency. The essential services should also be given maximum support and have the health workers well distributed. This can be done by having the health workers in shifts and have them take rest when need be to avoid burnouts.
WHO has come up with a helpline in which people can consult and ask questions when they have any? This will help in creating awareness and having people sure of how they are faring. WHO offers this information at no cost and thus at no time will people complain that there are not exposed to what is happening in the world during the pandemic. WHO has given guidelines and measures that need to be taken and have the people control the spread of the disease. The awareness created by WHO has also helped the countries not hit by this pandemic to brace themselves and prepare themselves to fight this disease.
WHO has advised the different countries to be well informed and have their citizens wee informed on a daily basis and the different measures they need to take. The pandemic issue seems to change each and every day, and more people are being affected. With this, the health workers should revise their measures and more measures put for the community. Information should thus be evenly distributed, and everyone should be informed of what is expected of them. The public should be allowed to contribute in curbing with the pandemic, and by so doing every one should take their initiative and the pandemic will be put to an end.
Health workers are expected to prepare themselves for anything good or bad they will be experiencing while fighting this pandemic. There should be organized and well-prepared health systems that will, in turn, lead to equitable access to health care services. There are cases of emergency, and the health workers should act promptly and help save the lives of those in danger. This will help reduce the mortality rates caused during the pandemic due to delays.
Ethical Dilemmas
There are ethical dilemmas in which the health workers and the healthcare organizations are facing. With this there, the organizations and the individual health workers have to take the risk and choose what is right in every situation. The Covid 19 outbreak has affected most of the sectors and countries and thus with a clear indication of what is expected, then they are as discussed below.
During treatment of the seriously ill Covid 19 patients, there are a lot of ethical decisions that need to be arrived at. These people have reached a state in which they need good care given to them, and their chances of survival are minimal. The patients are in the ICU and ventilators, and thus, the healthcare workers need to do all they can to save their lives. When the state of the patient worsens, the health workers have to make a decision to either let it be. There is a need to consider that the state is not supporting this and that there are other patients whose life and health is promising and thus they will need the ICU beds and the ventilators. It reaches a point in which the patient cannot fight anymore for their health, and they might make a request to the health workers to just let them go and save other lives. With this, the health workers may face an agonizing moment, and they might go into trauma for not saving a life.
The testing process also has been an ethical challenge during the pandemic. Confirming to a patient that they are suffering from the disease is hard and requires courage. The testing process also takes time, and some patients may not display the signs and symptoms of Covid 19. Having patients under forced quarantine to help solve the problem of contracting the disease is also another issue, and as the patients are facing trauma and can even commit suicide. The health workers are facing a challenge when it comes to testing and revealing the information to them.
The health workers are still tied to their jobs even with the pandemic. They have to respond when called into work whether they are willing or not. Their main aim is to save lives, and this has put their livers at risk. The health facilities are expected to have better and required equipment’s that will help to contain the pandemic and reduce the rate at which the health workers are exposed. The hospitals without the required equipment’s are not in a position to handle the Covid 19 patients as this will risk the lives of those working in the hospitals and other patients in that health care facility.
The health workers are in a dilemma on to why some the vaccines that are being invented to whom will they be tested on. There are a number of organizations that are coming up with vaccines that will help contain the disease, and the question remains who is legible to have the vaccine tested on them. The vaccine may cause other issues depending on the patients, and thus the required results may not be attained. Different patients will respond differently to the vaccine when it is administered to them, and thus it may not be effective. The ethical question occurs here, and the health workers have to at the end come up with a plan to test the vaccine, and it might be against their ethical issues.
Ethics are the pros and the cons in a certain situation based on the profession in question. The health workers have to do everything as long as there is a clear explanation to help them save lives. In the case of pandemics in the country and globally, the health workers are guided and have to consult while making a decision about life. When health care is called to act, they are expected to do so without question, and they have to be cautious and ensure they take the precautions expected.
Health care facilities have been affected by the pandemic, and to a greater extent, they have been challenged. The rate at which the Covid 19 is transmitted is high, and the patient with other terminal diseases are at risk. The disease does not target any age, and thus there is a need to take the precautions and the measures given. By practising social distance and practising proper hygiene, then the chances of contracting the diseases are low. This will give the health workers a better condition to work and help contain the disease. It is not easy to risk one’s life so as to save lives and even at times live far away f5rom the loved ones so as to protect their lives.