Advocate local forglobal healthcare

i want you to try

and imagine a scenario you’re sitting at

home

and you have sudden onset of chest pain

so you’re rushed to any

as you’re lying in your bed staff around

you are running around trying to get

things done

you even notice there’s patients lying

in beds and corridors

you’re scared you’re in pain and a

thousand worst case scenarios are

running through your mind

but the one thing bringing you comfort

at this time is i’m in the best

place possible as medical students this

is often our go-to line to bring people

comfort when they’re scared or afraid in

hospital

we remind them that they’re in a place

with medical equipment and resources to

give them the best quality care possible

but now let’s switch up the scenario a

little bit we’re no longer in the uk

or somewhere else across the world you

might be thinking i’ve seen images on

social media or i’ve been on holiday

where i’ve seen the hospitals in other

places they’re amazing they’re

incredible

that wouldn’t be so bad but what about

one of those countries with extremely

high

levels of poverty this time as you’re

rushed through the doors of a

e you’re still in pain you’re still

scared

but there’s not just patients lying in

corridors noise there’s patients lying

in makeshift beds on the floor

staff are in the middle of a 48-hour

shift and they don’t have the funding to

order simple blood tests

never mind advanced medical scanning

could you really say

at this point you’re in the best place

possible i know which scenario i’d

rather be in

this is what is described as global

health inequalities

it’s where one person born in one

country might receive poorer quality

health care than if they were born in

another

this is simply due to lack of funding

and resources

surely this isn’t fair but

this is where swat steps in

myself and rebecca are president and

vice president

of the medical student run charitable

society swot

which stands for students working

overseas trust

our aim is to raise money for essential

medical supplies for impoverished

hospitals

all around the world swat represents the

principles of the queen’s social charter

which promotes a positive impact on

society as well as a commitment to

equality

sometimes when we fundraise in the

general public people become less

interested in donating

when they find out that the money we

raise goes to hospitals overseas

but why is that let’s cast our mind back

to march 2020 the angst in our

communities is growing

and the pressure on the nhs is rising

the fear our hospitals are becoming

overwhelmed is becoming a reality

and shortages of ppe are being reported

daily in hospitals

and in care homes we’re growing

frightened

for our friends family members and

frontline workers

who are fighting covert 19 head on

9. imagine you live in a country

with high levels of poverty you may not

have a roof over your head

enough food to feed your family and

infectious diseases are highly prevalent

due to pure sanitation hospitals in

these countries

may not have ppe soap or clean water

on a regular day let alone during a

global pandemic

because of this the baseline level of

care that we can receive here in the uk

simply cannot be met in these countries

healthcare workers who work in

impoverished hospitals want nothing more

than to provide the highest quality care

for their patients

but due to a lack of equipment and

facilities

they must simply make do with what they

have

poverty exists everywhere globally but

factor means

if you fall ill here in the uk you will

receive high quality health care

for free depending on where you’re born

you may not have the same luxury we

cannot advocate for our own healthcare

system

without advocating for all healthcare

systems

we’re all extremely protective of our

nhs and rightly so

it’s one of the best and fairest

healthcare systems around the world

many countries are trying to model their

healthcare systems and ours here in the

uk

but some simply can’t afford to do so as

a result

diseases which are viewed off as

historic here in the uk

are claiming thousands of lives

worldwide every year

additionally with the increase in travel

and trade between countries

it’s now easier than ever for diseases

to move from one place to another

if we don’t invest in global health now

it’s gonna come back to affect us

our children our grandchildren and

beyond but in an already struggling

nhs under even further pressure

is this really a risk you’re willing to

take

using the coronavirus pandemic as an

example

we can see how quickly diseases can

spread from one side of the globe to

another

this demonstrates how healthcare on a

global scale

can be hugely influential to healthcare

on a local scale

if we can aid hospitals in other

countries this will benefit us in the

long run too

as the more accessible healthcare is to

all globally

the more equipped communities will be to

prevent disease

government being only one of many

we must also look from the perspective

of what we can do at a local scale

to benefit society globally

each small act we can do in our local

communities will have a ripple effect to

communities worldwide

whether it be a small donation a

conversation with friends and family

or taking time to educate yourself on

global health inequality

and what we can do to change it will

have a massive impact on the world

if we all make the conscious effort to

do so