This past
week we had a few representatives from the Hope Dispensary come in and talk to
us about the work that they do, and I found that what they had to say really
resonated with me. The work that they are doing is outstanding and I think that
providing medicine for those who cannot afford it is a wonderful thing. As an
Integrative Neuroscience major I felt that the Hope Dispensary related to me,
and it opened the door to a whole new realm of ideas that hadn’t crossed my
mind prior. I think that we should all consider the great work that the Hope
Dispensary does because it can be very tough for people to stay healthy and
provide for their families if they can't even meet the basic need of sustaining
their own health.
Taking what I
had heard from the Hope Dispensary, I decided to look for other organizations
that provide medical support for the less fortunate. African Steps is an
organization from the UK that works to provide the people of Likoma Island in
Malawi with free medicine that they desperately need. African Steps partners
with the local hospital, St. Peter's, and provides supplies along with monetary
support. African Steps has no administration costs so all of the money donated
goes directly to the people in need. This is because the organization relies
completely on volunteers alone, which is a very admirable trait. African Steps desperately
needs help as they are always short on supplies and money, and I think that it
is important to give them credit for all the great work that they are doing. I
would highly consider giving a donation to them if I win the tweet of the week,
because they represent the altruistic traits that I think every organization
strives for, and that this class is teaching us to demonstrate. If you would
like to check out their website here is the link: http://www.africansteps.org.uk/
Another
wonderful medical institution that may be a bit more familiar is St. Jude's
Children's Research Hospital. This organization is phenomenal as it works to
fight catastrophic diseases, and it is accepting of all children in need, no
matter what the condition or the ability to afford treatment. This organization
not only works towards finding groundbreaking new treatments and potential
cures for horrible diseases, but it also gives the children that are fighting intense
battles against deadly diseases hope. Whenever I read stories about children
that are fighting these diseases it is heartbreaking, but it is also truly inspiring
how they continue to fight each and every day. Check out the St. Jude website: http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f87d4c2a71fca210VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD
One example
of how these children keep fighting can be seen from the Mardi Gras celebration
that they had for the children at the hospital. The people working at the
hospital really make the day special for the children. These workers support
the children and help them forget about the struggle that they face just for a
little. The willingness to never give up by these patients and the audacity that
the workers show towards their jobs is one of the reasons I want to become a
doctor. Inspiring hope in people is something that you can't put a price on. If
you want to see the pictures from the Mardi Gras celebration here is the link: http://www.stjude.org/stjude/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2be468fa7ec94410VgnVCM100000290115acRCRD&vgnextchannel=52977c0bd388d110VgnVCM1000001e0215acRCRD
So my question
for all of you is do you think that medical philanthropy is as good as I see
it? Are there flaws that I may not have pointed out? Do you think that there
are other ideas that could be explored to improve the lives of those suffering
from diseases? I challenge you to find an organization that you really support.
Ryan, I completely agree with your stance on the issue of medical philanthropy and believe it is an extremely important cause to donate to.
ReplyDeleteSimilarly to you, I am also an aspiring doctor and want to make an impact on the people that I help. These organizations that you have compiled do wonders to the people they help. Without proper medical treatment of certain diseases and illnesses, many people may die prematurely or suffer from something that they wouldn't otherwise deal with if they had proper medical treatment.
However, playing devil's advocate, aren't there more dire problems that people may be facing? In class, we heavily discussed the idea that people deserve a minimum standard of living. However, medical treatment does not fall in that category, so other organizations, such as ones that help poverty and hunger, may be more willing of our money.
One medical organization that I am extremely involved in is JDRF, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. My fifteen year old sister has been living with Type 1 Diabetes since she was five years old. Although not a deadly disease, Type 1 Diabetes greatly affects the lives of not only the person diagnosed, but the entire family as well. Living with this for ten years makes me a large proponent in finding a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. JDRF uses money that is volunteered in educating people about the disease as well as on research in an attempt to find a cure.
I also agree with you, Ryan, in believing that medical philanthropy is extremely important. In fact, for me, it may be one of the most important forms there is, as it hits very close to home.
ReplyDeleteSomeone extremely close to me was recently diagnosed with a form of cancer that is not treatable, but manageable and sustainable if he takes a radiation pill once a day for the rest of his life. The cost of this pill is $6,000 per month, adding up to $72,000 per year. This is almost double the median household income of Broome County, spent only on the supply of one medicine that has the ability to keep someone alive and living a normal life. If this person did not have a great job and great insurance, there is no way he could afford the medicine, and would be faced with the choice of going into extreme debt or ending his life at an extremely early age.
To know that there are non-profit organizations that can help people in situations like these gives me immense solace, and I would work everyday, and with great pride, for an organization like the Hope Dispensary or African Steps. Therefore, I'd have to disagree with Kayleigh (playing devil's advocate) that medical philanthropy does not meet a basic need, or that it is not worthy of our money.
Like both Kayleigh and Ryan, I agree that medical philanthropy is an awesome thing. Like you said, if it weren't for medical philanthropy St. Jude's hospital would not be able to provide free healthcare to children in need. And for the reasons you guys both listed, I want to be a nurse to help patients heal. It frustrates me when people try to say that certain types of philanthropy or agencies are providing more help when the things they are comparing are on completely different levels. Yes, providing food to starving children in Africa is awesome, and the amount of money it takes to save one child in need of medical care could save many more who only need food. But who says that food alone will keep that child alive? What if the child becomes infected with a disease, is killed in a war, and not to mention the likelihood of that child attending school. But with medical philanthropy, children (and adult) lives are being changed so they can continue their education and have a successful life. How do we compare the two obviously life changing ways of helping those in need? No one can truly decide which way to give money is the most effective and no one can say that certain lives are worth more to save.
ReplyDeleteOn a bit of a side note of medical philanthropy, it was brought up in class while the Hope Dispensary was speaking, why hire a pharmacist, and why not just have all volunteers? And personally, it seems that the task of recruiting volunteer pharmacists would be difficult. Some positions just need to be filled with paid employees. Especially for the Hope Dispensary, I don't see how having a few paid employees would negatively impact the outcome of this medically philanthropic organization.
Medical philanthropy requires people with skills that they are required to be trained for certain jobs. While this could be seen as a weakness, I see it as a strength. Working in the medical field, it is rare that there are job shortages, and because of this the people at St. Jude's or the pharmacist at the Hope Dispensary most likely really want to work there. They want their job skills to help others.
And isn't it encouraged to combine your passions with your work?
The comments that all of you made this week was exactly what I was looking for. It is important to ask questions about where to give our money. For who is to say whether one form of philanthropy is better than another? In addition, I think that it is a very personal choice in choosing what we find most important and therefore decide where to give our money and/or time to. We all wrote essays on this very topic, and not one was the same.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, it always saddens me to hear of the hardships that people go through when battling diseases. These people have lives for themselves, and continue to fight each and every day. If an organization can provide the support to keep a person going in their fight, then making sure that there is access to the supplies that these organizations need is vital to inspiring hope.
Looking at the basic needs approach, we may take it for granted, but many people here in America and abroad do not have access to basic medical treatment, and I feel that it should be a basic need. Peter Singer discussed getting Malaria nets to protect people who don't even have access to basic Malaria treatment, but what if we were to stop that problem at the source by having doctors around to provide medicine for the prevention of Malaria. In this case, having these basic medical needs met also provides for the basic need of a healthy life.
Also, if paying medical specialists will encourage more people to help the less fortunate, then organizations should certainly pay those specialists. Medical school costs a lot of money, and most doctors aren't going to work for free if they are in debt themselves. Paying doctors to work for nonprofit organizations really helps the people in need by ensuring that they are seen by a professional.
I share the common viewpoint here that medical philanthropy definitely merits donations of time and money. I, like most of the class, feel that a minimum standard of living ought to be met for all people on this earth, and medical care is certainly one of those basic needs needed to fit the minimum standard.
ReplyDeleteOf course, I've had discussions with those who feel that the type of illness should dictate it's medication's status as a basic need. In class earlier in the semester we had a discussion about whether we would be comfortable helping someone whose own decisions caused their misfortune, and I said that I would be hesitant. Therefore, should medication for emphysema, a disease that is mostly caused by smoking cigarettes, be considered in this basic need category? Did they bring this disease willingly on themselves and therefore shouldn't get it medication as a "basic need?"
Additionally, some of you may recall the debate over assisted suicide's legality for terminally ill patients. I remember watching a Fox News report where one panelist asked, "why should we spend thousands of public dollars on medication for someone who is only going to live a few extra weeks with them? Let's open the hospital bed to someone who can actually be saved and stop wasting that money." So if you become terminally ill, should you still deserve medication as a basic need? I mean, the idea of meeting a minimum standard is so people can live healthily, and if they're terminal they won't be able to live healthily regardless.
The whole point of this was to show that no matter how obvious the decision seems to some, there will ALWAYS be someone to believes differently from you, no matter how hard it is to believe what they do. Do I think medical philanthropy is a good idea? Yes, and I hope I can convince others to think that way also.
Interesting discussion guys, Medical philanthropy truly has a unique niche in the world of philanthropy. I have two points that I would like to bring up. First is the issue of medical philanthropy examined through the eyes of a utilitarian. Second, and closely connected to the question of utilitarian philanthropy is values.
ReplyDeleteThe major issue at stake when discussing medical philanthropy is the fact that there are a limited number of resources within the world. If we analyze philanthropy as a whole from a utilitarian lens, the goal should be to improve the lives of as many people as possible, with the least amount of resources. So in the comparison between a medical problem and giving food to Africa it would seem the most effective way to use funds and create the most utility would be to give food to Africa.
This leads to my second point: the idea of values. As we all know by now one driving factor of philanthropy are an individual's values. So in order to strike the balance people should understand and follow their own values while at the same time trying to produce more utility in the world.
Concluding, this seems to be an extremely technical problem within philanthropy and I believe that in the end their must be a balance between all types of philanthropy. Furthermore, there should be a equal spread of resources to each area of philanthropy.