VOLUNTEERING SPIRIT

All human beings are born equal. But due to varying circumstances, some are born in poverty, riches, joy or sadness. In the end, the cycle of life makes its way and claims the less adept and thus, the most at risk of being overcome by misfortunes are the under-privileged.So a profession that has as its core principle the doing of good should be in the forefront of championing equal opportunity in this very unequal world.

Healthcare workers, being in a calling akin to propagation of moral standards and virtue associated with religious belief, should always strive to do the right thing.Using our skills and knowledge to spread useful health and lifestyle information to the public and the under-privileged should be our priority in social justice programmes. Government should provide healthcare, but who is the Government?

HOW MANY OF US WORK FOR government institutions, drawing a salary for our work but like mercenaries we only do so when paid.With no hope of helping directly in our calling, yet we have the skills and degrees to boot? Volunteering at a community health clinic for five hours a month could help reach the disadvantaged and improve service provision.

Thus the healthcare worker should think twice before insisting on a consultation fee of thousands of shillings for a skill that is God-given. Every healthcare worker has a duty and a covenant to protect lives. When a majority of the people in a country is ailing so will its economy. Diseases place a huge burden on the nation in lost work hours while seeking treatment. The 56 per cent who earn less than a dollar a day and cannot have access to basic health facilities are bound to get sicker and poorer while the middle and upper class watch.An alternative way of handling this crisis is by organising health clinics which are not-for-profit and are run in a transparent and accountable manner. We can have one or two specialists volunteer for a six-hour shift to attend to cases related to their area of specialization.

It is possible to attain these health goals. But a team is better than an individual effort because of the synergy inherent in our collective experiences and knowledge. This is why there is need for the formation of a team to coordinate the activities and brainstorm on how we can help in the provision of health benefits. These volunteer activities are an investment in the future of our nation. This is a fact, as we shall end up spending less on curative healthcare as in a preventive system the economically active portion the population is able to produce more to help realise Vision 2030.

With our small interventions here and there, we can give proper guidance and reach a stage where the Government would be offering preventive healthcare on a regular basis rather than when floods wreak havoc in the low lying areas.Identifying the health needs of various sections of society will ensure proper procurement of drugs based on need. This should serve as a wake-up call to health professionals to act with more compassion for the poor. For the general population, good health is a blessing, hence the need to prevent diseases.

WE'VE ALL HAD DEEP MOMENTS OF reflection in our lives and guided by our sense of purpose and altruism we can surely achieve our goal.Kenya can only be built through community partnerships and not individualistic pursuits spurred by the Western capitalistic mindset of what is in it for whoever does something for the community.

(Opinion piece share on Daily Nation in April 2007) by me.
Nostradamic??Hmmmm.