Mathew 5:1-11 is one of the most known passages in the bible. Collectively, the versus are theologically known as the beatitudes and were given by Jesus to his disciples and followers as advise on how a Christian should live. They represent ideals that characterize the behaviour required to inherit the kingdom of heaven (Theology of Work, 2017). The verses in this passage are compatible with the healthcare business and should form the basis of practice in the business. Their compatibility with healthcare can be associated mainly with their emphasise on righteousness. In morality, righteousness is underpinned by ethical behaviour and treating fellow human beings with dignity. In healthcare, the principles of practice also emphasise on ethical behaviour on the healthcare practitioners` part. As a matter of fact, the industry has a list of ethics that all practitioners are expected to uphold at all times to ensure the production of quality services. Additionally, dignity in healthcare, just as in the beatitudes, is a big part of the practice. Essential health and social care principles such as patient-centred treatment approach is based on the recognition of human dignity. The idea that a patient is supposed to be treated as a human being fast and a client second is fundamentally Christian and borrowed from teachings in the bible, Mathew 5: 1-11 being one of them.
However, the verses have a number of challenges they present to the health and social care business. Firstly, collectively, they represent a Christian ideal that, from a human perspective, is difficult to attain and embody. Therefore, considering the fact that the healthcare industry comprises of individual human beings prone to ethical errors, it follows that the perfection preached in the passage is a goal that the industry often falls short of. While absolute perfection might not be realistic, the business as a whole can work towards meeting this challenge by striving for perfection. Such a goal will lead the business as a whole towards a more humanistic and wholistic approach that provides health and social care services with the human beings it serves at its centre. The most tangible measures that can be put in place to move towards the perfection Jesus taught about in the passage are all principles of patient-centred approach. Care given by the industry that observes principles of patient-centred approach is bound to be an embodiment of all the teachings in the passage. as it advocates for humane values such as purity of heart, peace-making, mercy, and humility (Pelzang, 2010). Another challenge that the verses present to the business is the disparity in reward. In exchange for the ideals that the verses advocate for, Jesus promises heavenly rewards that a Christian would reap in afterlife. However, in the health and social care business, the rewards that the business aims for are monetary, and necessarily so. From a Christian perspective, a health and social care practitioners should embody all the ideals described in the verses but not for the monetary gains he/she would get but because they believe practice based on the beatitudes would earn them the heavenly rewards. However, such a belief is not realistic as the healthcare business is compelled to prioritize financial gain in order to survive and continue providing services. As a whole, the business can improve on this by incorporating services that are offered to those who are incapable of affording the financial resources required. Programmes that enable a pool of funds for such individuals will do well in improving the industry on this part.
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As an upcoming professional in healthcare administration, the most challenging part of the passage is verse seven which calls for mercy. One of the roles of a healthcare administrator is to ensure that the organization is financially stable (Begun et al., 2010). While it is possible to be merciful on a personal level and have compassion towards patients who are unable to paying for their services, from an administration perspective, satisfying the requirement of mercy endangers the organization`s financial sustainability. As a result, I often find myself failing to follow the advice as given by Jesus in order to ensure the organization earns enough money to continuing serving those who can afford its services. In brief, reconciling the requirement to generate revenue as expected of my position and being merciful as expected by the passage is a big challenge.
References
Begun, J. W., White, K. R., & Mosser, G. (2010). Interprofessional care teams: The role of the healthcare administrator. Journal of Interprofessional Care , 25 (2), 119-123. https://doi.org/10.3109/13561820.2010.504135
Pelzang, R. (2010). Time to learn: Understanding patient-centred care. British Journal of Nursing , 19 (14), 912-917. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2010.19.14.49050
Theology of Work. (2017). The beatitudes (Matthew 5:1-12) | Bible commentary | Theology of work . Theology of Work | What Does the Bible Say About Faith and Work?. https://www.theologyofwork.org/new-testament/matthew/the-kingdom-of-heaven-at-work-in-us-matthew-5-7/the-beatitudes-matthew-51-12
