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Read moreThis article takes a look at some successful crowdfunding campaigns which have helped people to access the healthcare they deserve
Healthcare is a fundamental human right. The World Health Organization states that “The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition”.
Yet for many people, health care is not readily available. For some it’s because they are in countries where they need to pay for healthcare and they simply can’t afford the high costs. In some countries, access to resources is limited and the healthcare provided is very minimal. GoGetFunding has been able to help many people with personal medical campaigns to seek the treatment they need. However, our site has also been able to help people who are fighting to provide communities with accessible health care. Let’s take a look at some of these impassioned campaigns.
In India, the healthcare service has been lacking for many years. For those who can afford it and have good medical insurance, their healthcare facilities are top-notch. However for those who live below the poverty line, healthcare is difficult to access.
This study on the differences of Indian healthcare explains that on the lower end of the spectrum “are the ramshackle outposts in the remote reaches of the “other India” trying desperately to live up to their identity as health subcenters”. It’s estimated that 365.55 million people in India live below the poverty line. This is a vast improvement from past figures and many projects are being rolled out to try and improve the situation. However this still leaves a huge group of people who are struggling to survive.
The Helping Hands Foundation set up a campaign to raise funds to support their work. They are a non-government funded organization which tries to help people access the healthcare they deserve. Their volunteers have been through their own health challenges, so they can empathise with the patients they help. They work in 200 government hospitals and medical centres, providing counselling and emotional support to patients. They advocate for patients to get the treatment they deserve. Their organization allocates funds to ensure that patients are getting the tests, medical supplies and treatment needed. Their campaign was extremely successful, surpassing their goal at 740%!
Another campaign trying to battle the health problems in India was run by a social worker in the city of Dausa. Their campaign aimed to raise awareness of the health issues experienced by the local people. They wanted to add their voice to the outcry for better health services. Their second aim was to provide healthcare to women and children in remote areas, with a programme called Care on Wheels. They exceeded their goal raising an impressive $1,491 to carry on their amazing work.
In South Africa poverty is rife. This article states that “45% of the population still lives on approximately $2 per day” and that “More than 10 million people live on less than $1 per day”. These people are barely able to afford food or get access to clean water, never mind afford healthcare.
Significant health issues in Africa include human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with Africa accounting for 17% of the global population with HIV. Africa also reports the highest tuberculosis (TB) cases in the world. While good healthcare is available within Africa, many people cannot access the health insurance needed, and cannot afford to pay out of pocket.
Many wonderful organizations and charities do life-saving work to provide healthcare to the people of Africa. One of these charities is The Children’s Hospital Trust. Established in 1994, they work hard to “advance child healthcare through the Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital – the first stand-alone tertiary hospital, exclusively for children, in sub-Saharan Africa.”. Their charity raises funds to upgrade the hospital, to provide new medical equipment and to train medical professionals.
A man who had been inspired by the charity’s work set up a campaign asking people to sponsor him to cycle 300km. He exceeded his fundraising goal, raising ZAR 9,371.
In Papua New Guinea health care is very limited. The World Health Organization explains that there are severe shortages of medical professionals with only “0.5 physicians per 10,000 population and 5.3 nurses per 10,000 population.” That means that there is only 1 doctor for every 20,000 people!
Even where there are medical professionals available, the resources they have to work with are few and far between. Even basic resources like water are lacking. This study on the quality of health services in Papua New Guinea found that “Only 36% of health centers had running water inside the building year-round.” Although improvements have been made over the years, the situation is still far from perfect.
EIn more remote areas, such as Kikori, health care is even more difficult to access. Kikori has one of the highest rates of tuberculosis (TB) in the world. The medical team from the hospital in Kikori works hard to raise awareness, to provide education about TB to the local villages to help stop the spread of the disease, and to provide vital healthcare to locals. They even train volunteers in local villages to carry on their work when they can’t be there.
Kikori is in the middle of swamp lands, and so can only be accessed by river. The hospital’s motorised dinghy was the only way they could get around to continue their life-saving work. Until it broke down.
Luckily a group of people from London in the UK were aware of this cause, and set up a crowdfunding campaign to fund a new dinghy for the hospital. They managed to raise a total of £10,325, enabling the hospital to buy a new dinghy and to continue changing the lives of the local people.
In Germany, while healthcare facilities are available, there are not enough healthcare professionals to care for the increasing population. This Global Health report states that “Germany faces a shortage of doctors with conservative estimates suggesting a shortfall of 15 000 doctors; this could rise to 111 000 by 2030.”
Many charities funded by donations and run by volunteers step up to try and advocate for patients, to help them get the healthcare they need. One of these charities is the Bundesverband Herzkranke Kinder eV (BVHK). They work with children with heart disease and their families. Their work includes advocating for the patient’s rights, advising parents and caregivers, providing emotional support and respite, and much more!
A group of people set up a campaign to support this charity’s work. They decided to compete in the highest mud run in the world. A mud run is essentially as it sounds. Teams run through a muddy obstacle course to try and be the first to reach the end of the course! They managed to get all the sponsors they needed, raising 100% of their goal and enabling them to help a wonderful charity.
GoGetFunding has had the honour of enabling some amazing selfless people to do life-changing work. You can set up your campaign today and raise money for any cause! What are you waiting for?
References
World Health Organization, (2017), “Health is a fundamental human right”
Kasthuri A. (2018). “Challenges to Healthcare in India – The Five A’s.” Indian journal of community medicine : official publication of Indian Association of Preventive & Social Medicine, 43(3), 141–143.
Niall McCarthy, (2019), “Report: India Lifted 271 Million People Out Of Poverty In A Decade [Infographic]”. Forbes
Bongani M. Mayosi, M.B., Ch.B., D.Phil., Solomon R. Benatar, M.B., Ch.B., D.Sc.(Med.), (2014), “Health and Health Care in South Africa — 20 Years after Mandela”. N Engl J Med 2014; 371:1344-1353.
The Children’s Hospital Trust, (2018), “About”.
Global Health Workforce Alliance, (2020), “Papua New Guinea.” World Health Organization.
Thomason JA, (1993), “Quality of health services in Papua New Guinea: what do we know?”. P N G Med J. 1993 Jun;36(2):90-8.
Aula Abbara, Diana Rayes, Maryam Omar, et al, (2019), “Overcoming obstacles along the pathway to integration for Syrian healthcare professionals in Germany”. BMJ Global Health.
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