Monday, May 20, 2013

Health/Anemia (prenatal care)

Health  is a  broad statement , however  it can be narrowed down to a specific topic or concern.  Health care is  essential for pregnant woman and their babies. Access to adequate health care  services provides educational information that encourages healthy eating habits, immunization, and parenting skills, which leads to healthy babies ,who might later manifest into healthy adults. In the USA  most families are insured privately or enrolled in  a State Health Care Plan. Similarly no one is denied healthcare services despite  their socieconomic status. For example in the city of Bridgeport, Ct. Americare operates a free clinic where residents receive immediate health care free of charge. The clinic partnership with hospitals and other health facilities that meet the need of the residents.  In countries like Jamaica healthcare is accessible with limitation. The Jamaican residents who rely on the government for healthcare services aren't lucky to receive adequate care as those who can afford private insurances. The cost for prescription drugs and the lack of availability put  a continuous  financial  strain on the residents. Hence I read an article  about anemia and the effect it has on pregnant women and their babies. There was a  study done on pregnant women in Westmoreland, Jamaica. The result detected a high rate of pregnant women that were anemic. My concern is, what happens to the percentage of mothers who are not  able to pay for the prescribe iron pills? Do they eat products that contain iron or do they stick to their own cultural belief ? I firmly believe all neonatal health facilities in the island should have trial iron supplement at hand to offer these women.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2995917/
http://www.jamaicans.com/articles/primearticles/health-care-in-jamaica.shtml
http://www.americaresfreeclinics.org/newsroom/news/weisman-clinic-opens-in.html
http://www.who.int/maternal_,child_adolescent/topics/newborn/en/index.html

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