The article authored by Tiedje and Plevak (2018) is a case study done to illustrate the contribution of a faith based medical humanitarianism named “Our Lady of Guadalupe Free clinic”. The facility was established by a catholic priest and his friends to allow for accessibility of healthcare for the Latino immigrants. This was as a result of inequalities that was present in the ethnic group that manifested as injuries or illness as well as abandonment. The case study used two research methods interview and ethnography. It illustrates the methodology and the study setting and finally demonstrates the findings got by interviewing the volunteers.
The case illustrates the struggles encountered by the volunteers who seek to answer the questions that relate to medical needs, morality, human rights and law. They confront the above mentioned issues to serve the illegal immigrates in desolate conditions where they lack access to primary or basic healthcare facilities. In cases where there the facilities are available, they do not have access due to the cost or due to lack of legal documentations needed by the immigrants. It is an illustration of how dominant market based systems contribute to the global challenges for the illegal immigrants (underserving population).
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Research Question
The case study seek answer to basic question, “What is it to care for the excluded in the name of humanity and in the name of Christ?” and “What is the role of OLGFC as an alternative service provider in the U.S., where healthcare is considered a commodity” (Taidje & Plevak, 2014) . . This is because, the illustrated facility offers free services where the American culture sees healthcare as a commodity available for those who can afford it. It discusses the role of solidarity, spirituality and advocacy in the humanitarian healthcare since the enactment of the patient protective and affordable act (ACA). With the enactment of ACA mandated the state with the responsibility of medical services to the elderly, disabled, indigent and youth through the Medicaid and Medicare. This aspect still excluded the immigrants who live in poor environs and cannot afford the cost of healthcare forcing them to seek healthcare services in the emergency room which is not cost effective.
Before the implementation of ACA in 2014 the healthcare was regulated through private organization and the state. At this time the people were covered by either their employer or privately paid for their healthcare insurance. The initiation of the healthcare service by the Priest father Jim was based on the identification of the challenge of healthcare access by the Latino parishioners who sort treatment in emergency room which was costly.
Discussion
The findings are divided into four broad sections which are; Role and mandate, volunteer motivations, faith and medicine and the right to health and advocacy. Under role and mandate, the OLGFC was established with the aim of was to gap identified in the healthcare in the community which is addressed through faith based aid. The motivation of Christian faith in the service delivery helped them to share the Christ teaching in the lives of their clients. This is because they were taught on the need to reach out to the needy through the moral teachings. In the faith and medicine, the volunteers described their faith as the motivation to model Christ in their lives.
Conclusion
Medicine is essential for primary healing of the patient and this was a reason for establishment of OLGFC to provide the service that was not accessible to them. The challenge posed by political attributed led to need for political advocacy to ensure the immigrants accessed the health services they needed. The results indicated a complicated relationship between humanitarianism and human rights in the U.S. where the Religious Non-Government Organizations (RNGOs) are consistently providing medical services to the excluded, which results in blurred boundaries with regard to political service work and a commitment to solidarity and social justice.
Reference
Taidje, K., & Plevak, D. J. (2014). Medical humanitarianism in the United States: Alternative healthcare, spoteinity and polital advocacynin the case of Our Lady Quadalupe Free Clinic. Social Science & Medicine , 360-367.
