The image clearly explains what is equity. In Health Care teams, we should strive for the equity concepts. Does this concept exists?
Now, as a general rule, all should get equal chances, now, can we treat every one equal? what about the credit to the merit? this is certainly debatable.
Once, a child took birth in a village, he or she is less exposed to the outside environment unlike the child who is in the city. It does not mean again about doubting the achievements of the village people.
There is certainly a disadvantage, for being in such areas, malnutrition during childhood may affect the intellectual capacity of the child and hence he may not be able to compete with the city guy. Is it about marginalized or advantaged?
Majority of the nurses might have tried for MBBS, but may have just missed the opportunity. After hard work of completing the course, both come out and start to practice.
Here starts the problem, society discriminates the Nurse to Doctor. Here, for patient care, we need to work as team and everyone needs to be credited for the care being provided, but majority times, we see a Doctor getting credit. I should not be jealous here, but I also should credit the hard work a Doctor put in his studies.
There should not be the doors closed for progress, but we have age limitations to enter the course, or have no lateral entry systems.
There should be the second chance to achieve the needed capacity. competency can be attained at any age, just take the example of chess, any age person can play chess.
When it comes to our societal education system, it has stringent rules and has less credit to a few courses and does not allow others to enter the profession. Does arts person need to be entered in Nursing or not? Me, as a nurse, I will feel that it will dilute the system, but the first statement we teach students is Nursing is Art and Science.
So, to address the problems, we need to rationally identify the possible solutions, putting the patient or beneficiary at the center and then apply the merit concepts to achieve the equity.
Cost-effective measures can be made by developing the profession of nursing. we see raising expenditure for a family towards health, but if we can utilize our manpower in an effective manner, it will help to decrease the health care costs.
Legal provisions of prescription authority is a block for development to the profession. few argue Nursing should take care of the caring part and Doctors to take care of the Prescription part. but as a common man, I feel, if the legal provisions allow, it does not matter to me whether a nurse or doctor who proved their competency to prescribe medication. I have seen many times, in the village, we did not find any medical professionals.
There is a need for autonomy and accountability too. we do not have clear pathways in the profession, competency-based pathways are essential. but our system still believes in the experience-based system. experience is really important but not always. there should be proportionate weightage to experience, research abilities, clinical competencies, outwardness to society, etc. that can be taken into consideration for putting a health care worker in the hierarchy.
Few people argue there is no such concept called equity as we have already supported the power dynamic system in place. is it at cost of quality and monopoly of one profession on another.
Nursing is independent profession and independence has to be achieved but nursing is facing a critical challenges in and outside.
Note: views may differ with others, this time i put a disclaimer not to dissect my article, but can suggest for improvements.