The coronavirus outbreak is still ongoing, though it’s showing the faintest signs of slowing down. Some areas of Europe are relaxing lockdown rules in the wake of declining numbers for deaths and new cases. China and other Asian countries are already slowly getting back to something near normal. Things are slightly different in the US, which is partly down to the poor governing of the situation, along with ridiculous responses by some members of the public.
Perhaps the hardest thing to understand is how the healthcare system has taken such a battering from this virus. Many opponents to the coronavirus will loudly voice that more people get infected with the flu each year, and more people die every day from other diseases. This may hold some truth, but the fact is that the additional infections and hospitalizations on top of what’s already there is the real issue. Imagine a glass of water that’s three-quarters full and stays that way all-year-round. Then, you suddenly get a jug and pour more water into the glass. There’s not as much water in the jug as there is in the glass, but it’s still enough to cause an overflow that leads to spillage.
This is basically what’s happening to our healthcare system, and we are the ones to blame. Along with our government, we’ve failed all the healthcare professionals out there. It sounds like hyperbole, but it’s sadly true…
We demand too much of doctors & nurses
For years, we have demanded far too much of healthcare professionals. They are overworked, underpaid, and underappreciated. Doctors will literally turn to any slight piece of technology or a tool to help make their workload easier every day. The introduction of speech recognition software in hospitals is a great indication of this. One of the main advantages of speech recognition in healthcare is that it helps doctors finish work without running into overtime. We forget that they don’t just see patients - there’s admin work to do as well. People are too keen to see doctors for any old issue or to go in for complaints that could be avoided. It taxes them physically and mentally, which means many doctors are already overworked before adding the coronavirus workload to their schedule. This actually leads into the second point:
We are too unhealthy
All over the country, hospitals are adapting to combat the coronavirus. The biggest struggle is that there aren’t enough beds for patients, there’s not enough equipment, etc. Part of this is our own fault for being so damn unhealthy. It’s no secret that obesity has been an issue in America for many years. This has a direct correlation to heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases. Did you know that 40% of deaths are caused by these problems, many of which relate to poor health and nutrition?! If people were just a little bit healthier and followed a good diet while cutting out things like smoking, then the healthcare system would be far more relaxed. There’d be fewer people in intensive care, meaning a pandemic like this one is slightly easier to manage.
Of course, a lot of healthcare issues stem from a lack of government funding or a complete lack of any good healthcare system for the public. Still, we have to stand up and take responsibility for our own faults. We put too much strain on this system without caring about the consequences. This has to change, or we may see a complete collapse.
