I decided to partner with Mrs.Bimbo Are, she is from the Ajoke International School. She stated to me that Economic activity throughout the region continues to expand: GDP growth is projected to reach 4.9% in 2013. "Africa's economies are have been expanding robustly and poverty is coming down".
I learned from emailing her that instead of using one consistent methodology to determine poverty
estimates, the country was simultaneously following several
methodologies developed by different international institutions. This
often resulted in estimates that were not comparable, moved in opposite
directions and painted vastly different pictures of poverty in the
country.
In reading my articles from class I read that the poverty affects the health. Poverty is a major cause of ill health and a barrier to accessing
health care when needed. This relationship is financial: the poor cannot
afford to purchase those things that are needed for good health,
including sufficient quantities of quality food and health care. But,
the relationship is also related to other factors related to poverty,
such as lack of information on appropriate health-promoting practices or
lack of voice needed to make social services work for them. In turn, is a major cause of poverty. This is partly due to the
costs of seeking health care, which include not only out-of-pocket
spending on care (such as consultations, tests and medicine), but also
transportation costs and any informal payments to providers. It is also
due to the considerable loss of income associated with illness in
developing countries, both of the breadwinner, but also of family
members who may be obliged to stop working or attending school to take
care of an ill relative. In addition, poor families coping with illness
might be forced to sell assets to cover medical expenses, borrow at high
interest rates or become indebted to the community.
Kimberly I believe the biggest challenge that poverty poses is ill health. When I analyze the situation we spend thousand of dollars on health care every year because the poor are not just able to provide for themselves in a healthy. Ill health leads to diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, malnutrition and even obesity. We tend to consume large portions of foods that consist of starches, sugars,salts and bad fats. Foods that are good for you such as good fats, multigrains, lean protein meats and vegetables are very expensive to maintain on a daily basis. We know medication does not fix health problems but a healthy lifestyle promotes healthy living.
ReplyDeleteJudy
Kimberly just to add rising food prices and financial crisis have led to an increase in hunger malnutrition. Children younger than age 2 are at special risk of hunger. The consequences of malnutrition during this critical time of development, poor fetal growth and or persistent under malnutrition early in life causes permanent damage including diminished intellectual capacity, impaired immune function and shorter height. These problems lead to lower achievement in school and lower productivity on the job.
ReplyDeleteBread for the World retrieved from http://www.bread.org/hunger/maternal-child-nutrition/
Dear Kimberly,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that the illness issue is accompanying with poverty. People in poverty are already food insecurity. Where do they get extra money to deal with their illness. Where do they get the money to buy medical insurance? When face an illness, how much the medicare can cover the treatment if you have one. I heard a case last year. A 14 years old girl hurt her arm during class at school. the father did not send her to check in the hospital, which I felt confused. And asked why. He told me they did not have medicare that covered the treatment. They could not afford the cost to see the doctor. I also experienced a case many years ago, in my workplace. A co-worker could not see a doctor when she was caught cold. She told me she did not have medical insurance. She told me she did not have the money to buy the medical insurance. She had to pay all bills and pay her child.