The film “The Constant Gardener” explores the unethical practices of a company named “Big Pharma” in Kenya. The protagonist of the film eventually realizes that the drug corporation uses Kenya’s population to test the efficacy of its “questionable” drug. The name of the drug is “dypraxa”. The drug also has numerous side effects thus making it questionable.
The corporation also disregards the wellbeing of the people. Justin Quayle is killed while attempting to uncover the company’s unethical practices (Channing-Williams, 2005). Justin’s wife also died while trying to uncover the company’s “unethical drug tests”.
From a personal perspective, I strongly believe this kind of study could happen anywhere across the world. For instance, the Nigerian Government sued Pfizer Company for using an experimental drug that left many children disabled and others dead (Britton, 2007).
With such allegations, it becomes clear that these studies can happen in different countries and societies thus affecting the lives of the people.
The other important consideration is to have appropriate measures in order to prevent such practices from taking place. To begin with, governments in the developing world should work together with different non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international agencies in order to monitor the practices of various companies.
As well, there should laws and regulations to govern the practices of different companies. “Companies and drug corporations should also adopt the best ethical standards in order to prevent such situations (Pozgar, 2010)”.
A healthcare study should be ethical in order to address the health needs of the population. This is the best way to ensure the people get the best care and reduce instances of death. However, it is acceptable that numerous unethical studies have taken place in different parts of the world.
A good example is that of Pfizer Company. The company used an “experimental antibiotic” for treating meningitis. However, it did so without addressing the ethical and health issues affecting the population. This resulted in “unacceptable” deaths (Britton, 2007). The practice resulted in a lawsuit whereby the Nigerian Government sued Pfizer Company for $7.0 billion over the drug tests.
Whenever such a situation occurs, “it is necessary for nurses to become advocates for ethical practices and healthcare (Sullivan, 2013)”. This is the case because there are “code of ethics” that require nurses to continue promoting the welfare of their patients. As well, different ethical theories such as “utilitarianism” support the practice in order to maximize human happiness.
Nurses and other caregivers should become advocates for quality practices and healthcare. In this kind of situation, nurses will report any unacceptable behavior thus promoting the welfare of the greatest majority (Sullivan, 2013).
The use of different ethical considerations can help nurses and caregivers promote the best healthcare practices. It is necessary to embrace the best practices because it is the only way to protect people’s lives.
It is agreeable that such practices continue to take place in different parts of the world today. The film “The Constant Gardener” explains the need for governments and international agencies to work together in order to prevent such practices from taking place especially in the developing world (Channing-Williams, 2005).
Such studies can be beneficial if conducted in an ethical manner. However, the same studies can be damaging especially when conducted in an unethical manner. Nurses, caregivers, and health practitioners should therefore be involved in these studies in order to prevent such situations from taking place.
Reference List
Britton, A. (2007). The Constant Gardener. The Changing Landscape of Development Education, 5(1), 1-3. Web.
Channing-Williams, S. (Executive Producer). (2005). The Constant Gardener [DVD]. London, United Kingdom: Focus Features.
Pozgar, G. D. (2010). Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Sullivan, E. J. (2013). Effective Leadership and Management in Nursing. Upper Saddle River: Pearson Education Inc.