Healthcare disparities exist in accessing healthcare among most immigrants in the US. This is due to background factors like varying education level and lack of earlier exposure to modern medical care among many immigrants from Africa. Cultural beliefs and language are also obstacles among these people. They also lack previous medical records, but most importantly these people are still struggling to settle in a new culture and lifestyle. They do not have medical insurance.
Most immigrants to the US from Asian countries normally seek hospital treatment in cases of mild, bacterial or viral infections. However, if the symptoms are chronic, these immigrants turn to their traditional herbal medicines. They believe that illnesses occur as a result of imbalance in the body functional processes. Therefore, they resort to herbal treatment and shun western drugs.
Most immigrants in the US normally fall ill due to various reasons, and in such cases, they seek medical treatments from health facilities. However, differences in cultural orientations, such as language barriers, present difficulties for doctors in relating with these immigrants effectively. Consequently, a simple ailment may present difficulties because of poor communication. These immigrants from Africa also lack medical covers. In such cases, some hospitals may not attend to them. Cultural differences and beliefs, and lack of medical insurance are responsible for health disparities among these immigrants when accessing Western healthcare treatment.
Asian immigrants have a popular culture of resorting to herbal cures in cases of chronic illnesses. These people believe that their herbal cures treat the real diseases whereas Western biomedicine only treats symptoms. This group also believes in spirit as responsible for illness. Therefore, they usually resort to their traditional healers who have the power to destroy the spirit causing illnesses.
The author accurately presents these two issues using research findings. Populations with medical health coverage have low levels of health disparities. However, minority immigrants do not have health coverage. Consequently, they experience disparities in accessing medical care from both private and public health facilities.
In the case of Asian immigrants, the author represents the case accurately. Traditionally, Asians believe in Chinese herbal treatment. These traditions relate illnesses to body fluid imbalances, and the cure relies on herbal treatment, which deals with the cause of the disease rather than its symptoms. Asians also have cultural beliefs of consulting their traditional healers in cases of prolonged illnesses. They believe that illnesses are misfortune that results from spirits, and they must use spirit mediums to destroy them.
These representations of health disparities are accurate. For instance, minority groups in the US lack health coverage. Consequently, they experience disparities in accessing medical care from any health facilities. At the same time, they also experience language and cultural barriers. These issues result into difficulties, and they are unlikely to receive appropriate treatment, or effective preventive measures.
Most doctors or nurses do not understand different cultures and their beliefs about various treatment methods. For instance, Asian immigrants may not return to the hospital if the health condition worsens. Instead, they will resort to herbal treatment and consultation of the spirits. Doctors who lack the cultural knowledge of these immigrants may find it difficult to administer effective treatment because these immigrants believe that Western medicine will only cure symptoms, and not the disease. These factors create large disparities in accessing medical care in the US among the immigrants.