Did you know that today, nearly 700 million people, about 8.5% of the global population, live in extreme poverty, surviving on less than $2.15 per day? And do you know how health and poverty are closely connected? Let’s explore!
People with poor health conditions struggle to work, earn money, and provide for their families. People who are ill and cannot obtain medical care usually suffer financial decline due to healthcare affordability. On the flip side, individuals who live in poverty struggle to maintain their health because they lack both clean water supplies and proper medical facilities along with essential nutritious food.
This creates a cycle in which bad health leads to poverty, and poverty makes it harder to stay healthy. Universally accessible health services are the primary tool to achieve cycle disruption. Providing people with the necessary care can help them stay healthy, work, and improve their lives.
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The Link Between Health and Poverty
Poor Health Leads to Financial Instability:
Health and poverty are strongly connected. Poor health results in financial instability that generates further poverty. People with chronic conditions such as heart disease or diabetes often cannot maintain work activities and financially support their families during illness.
Lack of Access to Healthcare:
Nearly 4.5 billion people, around half of the world, do not have access to basic healthcare. This makes even small illnesses turn into serious conditions. For instance, untreated diseases such as diarrhea and respiratory infections can turn into life-threatening conditions.
Impact on Children and Women:
Sick children tend to miss school frequently, which impacts their future opportunities. Maternal complications during childbirth often lead to preventable deaths for women.
The Financial Burden of Healthcare:
Medical expenses pushed 8 million Americans into deeper poverty during 2018, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Healthcare availability becomes a cycle from which poor individuals struggle to break loose.
Breaking the Cycle:
Breakout from the destructive cycle requires proper healthcare access to advanced health conditions and financial situations.
2. The Consequences of Limited Healthcare Access
Barriers to Accessing Healthcare:
Many people in low-income or rural areas face barriers to accessing healthcare. People in remote areas cannot easily get medical help because health facilities are distant, healthcare costs remain high, and regular transportation is scarce.
The Impact of Missing Basic Healthcare Services:
Small health problems transform into worse conditions whenever people cannot access basic healthcare services. For example, conditions like a cough or a mild fever can become serious if not treated early. When common and treatable medical conditions are left untreated, many long-lasting health risks emerge, which later prove costly to treat.
Global Issues with Healthcare Access:
Millions of people worldwide cannot have vaccines, accessible maternal healthcare, and affordable treatments for common diseases. Foundation healthcare systems become overwhelmed due to limited funding in countries with reduced financial resources.
Long-Term Effects on Communities:
Without access to healthcare services, communities experience sustained negative effects.
- Illness causes people to miss work, which reduces their earning potential.
- When families care for sick loved ones, they experience both emotional challenges and financial burdens.
- People become unable to effectively work, study, or support their community, so their entire community suffers negative consequences.
3. How Health Services Help Break the Poverty Cycle:
Health services hold a fundamental position in poverty reduction strategies. People who receive quality healthcare, and by becoming healthier, they can generate income to support their family. Health services produce life-enhancing benefits which help people overcome poverty.
Health Workers as Change Agents:
In many communities, health workers are at the heart of healthcare. They are often trusted and respected. They can help with:
- Diagnosing diseases early, providing maternal care, and offering family planning resources.
- Offer early diagnosis and treatments, reducing the financial impact of illness.
- Trusted health workers inspire communities to improve health and well-being.
This is especially important in areas where people lack access to basic medical care.
Community-Based Healthcare:
Community-based healthcare helps improve living conditions, not just medical care. It focuses on sanitation, nutrition, and housing to create healthier communities.
- Health systems and local governments work together to improve basic living conditions.
- Kaiser Permanente and Boston Medical Center invest millions to tackle health issues.
- Like in Canton, Ohio, health districts improve infrastructure for better community health.
- Roads, walkways, and parks help create healthier environments for residents.
Successful Case Studies
There are many examples where health care has helped reduce poverty. Projects like “Health and Clinic” by Guardians Hands Welfare Trust is helping Khano Goth people by providing this community healthcare services.
- Every two weeks, our team runs a medical camp, offering free consultations, treatments, and medicines to 300 people.
- Our goal is to set up a medical center with primary care, emergency services, diagnostic imaging, lab tests, and specialized treatments.
- We need your support to make this a reality and improve healthcare for the people of Khano Goth.
Through these efforts, health services play a key role in creating sustainable, healthy communities.
4. Addressing the Global Health Workforce Shortage
A serious global shortage exists in healthcare workforce numbers. Global health demands require 4 million doctors, nurses, and midwives, according to the World Health Organization. A shortage at the crisis level exists in 57 nations where medical staff deficits have reached critical levels. The limited access to medical care retains poor communities trapped in sickness and poverty because of these barriers.
- A lack of doctors and nurses means many treatable diseases go untreated.
- Rural areas suffer the most due to limited healthcare facilities.
- Families lose income when illnesses prevent them from working.
- Investing in health worker training can improve healthcare access.
- Stronger health systems help break the cycle of poverty.
Conclusion:
Health services play a big role in solving health and poverty problems. Many people fall into poverty due to high medical costs or job loss from illness. In 2018, over 8 million people in the U.S. became poorer due to medical expenses.
Good healthcare helps people stay healthy, work, and support their families. Community health programs, better hospitals, and affordable treatments can improve lives. Partnerships between hospitals and local governments also help by improving housing, nutrition, and sanitation.
When healthcare is strong, people can break free from poverty and build a better future.