NURS 4115 – Week 1 Discussion – The Role of the Nurse in Global Health
HIV/AIDS is a disease that is global and is one of the world’s most pressing health problems we currently face. At the end of 2016, there were approximately 36.7 million people worldwide living with HIV/AIDS and of those 36.7 million, 2.1 million are children (HIV, 2017). Treatments available for HIV/AIDS vary depending on where a person lives and the resources available. HIV/AIDS is more prevalent in some areas, and less so in others, and survival rates vary depending on those circumstances. As nurses, we need to be thinking and viewing healthcare around the world and not just in our area. People travel, and diseases are spread more rapidly than ever before. Illnesses and diseases do not know any borders (Laureate Education, 2010c).
Sweden is a developed country that is slightly larger than California and has a population of over 9 million people (Holtz, 2017). Sweden’s healthcare system is available to all citizens equally, is funded by the government and is dispersed based on need (Holtz, 2017). Sweden has an excellent healthcare system and provides healthcare to all. They have an extensive social welfare system that pays for child care and leave of absence for the father and mother to take care of the child (Holtz, 2017). There isn’t a shortage of healthcare workers, and there are no real issues with poverty or hunger in accordance with the Millennium goals. As of 2016, the number of adults and children living with HIV/AIDS was 11,000 (UNAIDS, 2017). This is a meager number of HIV/AIDS as compared to other countries. Sweden takes a very liberal view of sex education and is very open with young people (Holtz, 2017). The government provides free clinics and very low-cost birth control and contraceptives. I believe this aids in the low number of HIV/AIDS in Sweden.
India is in southern Asia and is very large regarding land size and population, with an estimated population of 1.24 billion (Holtz, 2017). India is overall an impoverished country. The gross national income is $3 910 USD (Holtz, 2017). As of 2016, 2.1 million adults and children are living with HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2017). Eighty thousand adults and children were newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS, 2017). India has deplorable living conditions and not enough resources for the people to survive. Twenty-two percent of the residents are malnourished, and 48% have stunted growth due to inadequate food sources and healthcare (Holtz, 2017). There are not enough healthcare workers or hospital beds for people in India. There are also not enough trained healthcare workers, and health insurance is not accessible for many (Holtz, 2017). Due to this shortage, many do not get the care they need, and the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to grow in India.
NURS 4115 – Week 1 Discussion – The Role of the Nurse in Global Health
The United States has an estimated 1,122,900 people living with HIV/AID as of the end of 2015 (CDC, 2017). The United States has the largest and most powerful economy in the world and has many public health avenues and funding (Holtz, 2017). As of 2013, the United States spends more on healthcare than any other developed country (1.7 trillion annually) (WHO, 2013a). Healthcare in the United States is still not available to all. The government provides healthcare to those with incomes low enough, but some people have an income in between and cannot afford Obamacare either (Holtz, 2017). There are many resources for public health in the United States, including clinics and shelters.
I believe all countries could learn a lot from Sweden. Their public healthcare is adequate and provides for all citizens. The number of people infected with HIV/AIDS is so low in Sweden. India has such a large population with limited resources. If they could provide more public health with a focus on sexual education, I believe that this could decrease the amount of HIV/AIDS in their country, but with their religious beliefs, this could be hard to accomplish. I think the United States does provide healthcare to all, no matter what insurance or lack of insurance a person may have. In the United States, we have an equal right to be seen and treated no matter what. I believe that other underdeveloped countries could learn from this. As nurses, it is our responsibility to reach as many people as we can and educate them to the best of our ability. As stated earlier, we can not just be concerned with our area, diseases and illnesses have no borders, so we must educate ourselves as nurses so that we can inform the world around us.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). HIV in the United States: At A Glance.
Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/hiv/statistics/overview/ataglance.html
HIV.gov (2017). Global Statistics. The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic. Retrieved from https://www.hiv.gov/hiv-basics/overview/data-and-trends/global-statistics
Holtz, C. (2017). Global health care: Issues and policies (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
Laureate Education. (Producer). (2010c). Public and global health: Issues and trends in global health [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
UNAIDS. (2017). India Country factsheets. Retrieved from http://aidsinfo.unaids.org/
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Question 
NURS 4115 – Week 1 Discussion – The Role of the Nurse in Global Health
Post your analysis of one health problem between one developed and one developing country in comparison with the United States in terms of the WHO outcomes and criteria listed above. State your opinion about how well the United States is doing in terms of public health. Share what you think countries with worse outcomes could learn from countries with better outcomes. Explain the nurse’s role in public and global health and why nurses should be concerned with global health issues. Conclude by summarizing your view of the role of the nurse in public health.