Change
Change.
The one thing that humans fear more than death. The one thing that comes with time. Many people are afraid of change because it opens the door for uncharted territory – the idea that something can go terrible wrong (or terribly right). The Ethiopian culture is accepting to change, as long as it aligns with the social rules set by the country and is widely respected across the many religions. In order for there to be sustainable change, there needs to be a change to the society. There needs to be an opening of the possibility to creating positive change that revitalizes the country – through the work of the new prime minister and the entire population.
The issue with creating changes within governments is a lengthy process. It could take years and even decades for noticeable changes to be made. The main point is not to be discouraged by the effort put forth, but it is to look at the larger picture. Governments around the world have different issues that they face each day, but by trusting a democratic process that has the people’s best interests in mind, they will have no choice but to listen to nothing but what matters the most.
Creating massive sustainable change has always been a dream for political activists worldwide. The dream that hundreds of years of oppression or territory not rightfully given can be changed with a simple enactment is usually the end goal. These dreams are what keep people motivated to make changes in the world. Sadly, even within multiple generations this may not be accomplished. Even with an immense amount of resources available, it may never even occur. However, approaching issues in a gradualist approach can make issues become clearer and give a different sense to the issue at hand. By working towards smaller goals, and once accomplishing them to move forward to other small goals.
This is the case with the health disparities issues in Ethiopia. Using a gradualist approach, by providing the government with the research in order to create change, and impacting the hospitals will only do so much. There needs to be pressure to make changes to the government and for other organizations to intervene through the people. Through the work of the health care professionals in Ethiopia, the people, and individuals within the Ministry of Health, there can be monumental change that will change the tide for Ethiopians for the rest of the century. There needs to be things done on a larger scale, but creating realistic goals is much more of an effective manner to tackle the issues.
The important thing to take note with when dealing with health disparities is culture and tradition. If you want to make changes within the government, how will they feel moving towards a more aggressive manner in providing health care as opposed to promoting spiritual healing? In addition, will this change in distribution methods have any confounding factors that may be opposed by other underrepresented ethnic groups throughout the country. If so, how and why could this happen?
