The Health Status of Vulnerable Groups

Health is undoubtedly one of the most recognized drivers of economic development. Countries whose populations are healthy tend to be more productive than their counterparts with unhealthy populations. Another notable benefit of a healthy population is reduced expenditure on seeking treatment, which implies that people have more to save and invest. It is also agreeable that a healthy population can comfortably pursue education, resulting in a more qualified capital workforce, which is a prerequisite for economic development. The benefits justify why nations worldwide must invest in their health care systems. The benefits also inform the health objective in the UN General Assembly’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 3, “To ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages,” requires countries to enhance factors promoting equitable healthcare coverage such as gender equality, poverty reduction, nutrition, and availability of clean water to achieve universal health coverage (United Nations, 2018). Nonetheless, vulnerable groups continue to face different challenges accessing healthcare globally.

One of the most affected groups in healthcare provision is vulnerable people in society. This is despite the ease with which vulnerable populations access healthcare being a core indicator of the success of universal healthcare policies. Based on this realization, there is a need to define and contextualize the vulnerable in healthcare access. According to Kharas and Mcarthur (2020), vulnerability is the risk of exposure to disease or death due to various health conditions. They further suggest that different factors increase this risk. One of the factors increasing the vulnerability of populations in healthcare access is their location. For instance, due to their isolation, prisoners may lack the opportunity to access health care. As a result, they are more likely to suffer from illnesses than non-imprisoned individuals. The individual’s age can also increase their vulnerability (Tangcharoensathien et al., 2018). In this respect, children are more vulnerable than adults since they cannot protect themselves from harm. Children cannot also advocate for their health interests. Therefore, they are bound to be underrepresented if no one advocates for their interests.

The other vulnerable group in healthcare access comprises people living with various disabilities and the chronically ill. First, the chronically ill are likely to report more poor health days than their healthy counterparts. This is because of lower immunity and the inability of their bodies to withstand diseases. Like the chronically sick, people with disabilities face challenges accessing health care (Acquah-Hagan et al., 2021). For instance, they cannot access various facilities as quickly as their counterparts without disabilities would. In this respect, they qualify to be recognized as a vulnerable group as well. Other vulnerable groups include the homeless and low-income individuals. Low-income individuals are particularly vulnerable due to the high cost of health care globally. Thus, they cannot afford healthcare services when faced with various health conditions. Lower-income individuals are also likely to suffer from mental health problems like depression. They also tend to abuse drugs more than higher-income individuals. Thus, they also qualify to be classified as vulnerable groups.

On the other hand, the homeless struggle to access quality food and accommodation. Thus, the food these homeless individuals consume may not adequately meet their health needs exposing them to health risks. The lack of adequate shelter exposes them to extreme weather conditions such as extremely low or high temperatures (Richard et al., 2016). As a result, they are likely to be affected by colds which could result in health complications. Besides, the stigma associated with homelessness may affect their ability to access health care services in various health facilities. The homeless also tend to struggle to access food and shelter. Consequently, they find it easier to forego healthcare services to pursue these basic needs (Bhatt & Bathija, 2018). Like low-income individuals, the homeless are also likely to abuse drugs and suffer from mental health illnesses. Therefore, they also fit in the description of vulnerable groups.

Although labelling some individuals vulnerable is viewed as paternalistic, there is a need to determine the ease with which various groups assess health care. Critics of the concept argue that classifying some groups that way may increase stigma, further discouraging individuals from those groups from seeking treatment (Clark & Preto, 2018). On the other hand, proponents suggest that identifying the vulnerability of various populations imposes on society the burden of ensuring that these individuals have access to health care services. Considering that the prevention of highly infectious diseases such as the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic requires involving the entire population, there is an urgent need to ensure that the vulnerable groups are also covered. Besides protecting them, such a move will also protect the whole population. Towards this end, there is a need to identify the various measures governments must put in place to enhance health care access for the vulnerable.

Governments and key stakeholders in providing health care services have various options at their disposal to solve challenges faced by vulnerable groups. First, they need to formulate a way to eradicate social exclusion. The discussion shows that socially excluded people like the homeless and people with disabilities face challenges accessing health care services. Thus, political actors must partner with healthcare professionals to ensure that the social inclusion of these groups is enhanced. One of the ways key stakeholders can improve social inclusion is by formulating policies that promote health care services without discrimination (Midboe et al., 2020). Health care providers must also be equipped with human rights protection skills to help them provide equitable care for all. They must mainly ensure that patients receive dignified services, regardless of their social class. Governments must also promote social accountability by posting healthcare professionals near their places of origin. This enables respectful delivery of services since they are dealing with people who know them well. Another alternative is by running campaigns at the community level to dispel counterproductive myths relating to the care of immigrants and other less privileged groups. Indeed, governments need to recognize that immigrants do not drain the economy’s health resources. Although they do not formally remit tax, they pay consumption tax, which entitles them to equitable healthcare. Indeed, no one should discriminate against them based on their failure to remit tax formally. Based on this discussion, governments must do things differently to guarantee health for all.

The Health Status of Vulnerable Groups – Outline

Paragraph 1: The paragraph highlights the importance of health to a country. It particularly highlights the benefits of a healthy population on the economy. The paragraph also introduces the inability of vulnerable groups to access health care services.

Paragraph 2: The paragraph explains the concept and describes the factors that cause vulnerability. It also discusses imprisoned people and their vulnerability.

Paragraph 3: The paragraph discusses the chronically ill and people living with disabilities and the challenges they face when seeking to access health care services. It also highlights the plight of low-income individuals.

Paragraph 4: The paragraph discusses the homeless and justifies their vulnerability. It particularly highlights how their situation prevents them from accessing healthcare services.

Paragraph 5: the chapter justifies why it is important to enhance vulnerable groups’ access to health care services.

Paragraph 5: The paragraph enumerates the various ways through which governments and key stakeholders can help vulnerable groups access health care services.