Disparities In Healthcare

A report on Race, Ethnicity, Culture, and Disparities in Health-care provision

Introduction
Healthcare is a fundamental right for every member of the society and therefore should be emphasized. Every citizen has a right to affordable healthcare and medical provision independent of one’s religion, race, ethnicity, culture, or nationality. In the modern world, healthcare has become one of the most basic needs of an individual that calls for a massive financial and resource investment. In order to increase the productivity of an individual, it is important for the nation to allocate enough resources to the health sector to cater for the diverse health care needs of the society at large. Besides, the provision of healthcare should be made accessible…show more content…
The minority members of the community are often totally left out or ignored in the provision of health care (Oppenheimer 1055). There is a significant level of inequality and favoritism in the health sector globally. Evidences indicate that ethnic and racial minorities in the community receive low quality health care as compared to the non-minority groups. This is evidenced by the statistics that indicate that the minority groups report the highest mortality and morbidity rates in the society, especially those that relate to chronic infections. A report on inequality in the provision of care by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) concluded that “racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare exist and, because they are associated with worse outcomes in many cases, are unacceptable” (Pasick 67). In the report, IOM proceeded by defining these disparities in medical and healthcare as being “racial or ethnic differences in the quality of health care that are not due to access-related factors or clinical needs, preferences, and appropriateness of intervention” (Trivedi, and Ayanian 557). This publication by the IOM has renewed interest from different stakeholders in enhancing the understanding of the healthcare disparities with respect to the minority and marginalized groups. In…show more content…
To increase the access of healthcare by the minority (racially and ethnically discriminated groups), the state should revise the drugs acts to address the unmet heath demands of the minority through promotion of health insurance policies and programs (Oppenheimer 1051). Besides, the government or the state should expand healthcare service provision to the racially/ethically discriminated persons through reduced medical administration legislation and bureaucracies.

Works Cited
Oppenheimer, G.M. Paradigm lost: race, ethnicity, and the search for new population taxonomy. Am J Public Health. 2001; 91:1049–55.
Pasick, R.J. Socioeconomic and cultural factors in the development and use of theory. In: Glanz K, Lewis FM, Rimer BK, editors. Health Behavior and Health Education—Theory, Research, and Practice. 2. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Inc;
Trivedi, A.N, Ayanian J.Z. Perceived Discrimination and Use of Preventive Health Services. J Gen Intern Med. 2006; 21:553–558.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. Assuring Cultural Competence in Health Care: Recommendations for National Standards and Outcomes-Focused Research Agenda. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office; 2010.
Williams, D.R. The concept