Health remains one of the imperative aspects that play a crucial role in facilitating national development. It has been established that a healthy nation attains high level of economic development because its citizens engage in income generating activities, increase their productivity, and enhance invention and innovativeness. Similarly, use of advanced technology in the production process enable a country compete effectively in the international trade affair; an idea that improve peoples’ living standards, health and social welfare.
Over the years, the federal government has strived improving its health care system by establishing health care facilities, providing drugs and hiring qualified medical practitioners. This move has helped all citizens’ access, affordable, quality, and reliable medical care. Despite this tremendous change in health care system, sexual and reproductive health docket remains one of the areas, which need research and evidence-based practices. According to a recent report released by World Health Organization (2009) affirm that nearly forty percent of deaths reported daily are associated with sexual and reproduction health complications. Adolescent aged (15-24 years) and women aged (27-38 years) are most (Faich, 73). Most of the complications associated with reproduction health can be resolved through research and empirical based practices.
However, should the government fund sexual and reproductive health research remains one of the topics that has raised a heated debate among medical practitioners and members of the public. Some people hold the view that government should fund reproductive health research, while others oppose this predisposition. The involved parties provide logical argument and facts in support of their argument. Despite this controversy, it remains imperative to discuss and analyze this issue broadly using pros and cons constructs.
Pros
Broaden knowledge in reproduction: The constitution stipulates that everyone has right for quality, accessible and affordable medical care irrespective of his or her social-economic status, religion and political affiliation, race and skin color. However, this fundamental right cannot be attained when the government fails to fund researched based programs in reproductive health. Funding such programs will enable medical practitioners address challenge facing reproduction health effectively thus lowering deaths accruing from reproduction health complications.
Research findings will enable policy makers establish areas in reproduction health that should be prioritized: Through government funding initiatives, researchers will be able to unravel the dynamisms and challenges facing each component in the reproduction health; an idea that will improve quality of services rendered and efficiency (Moreno, 374). Some of the areas in reproduction health are sensitive and require extensive research and policy maker should formulate policies and measures that will address such issues keenly. However, the fact that extensive research is required implies that the government should fund the exercise because other interested parties experience financial constraints.
It is a constitutional mandate for the government to fund sexual and reproduction health research: The federal government has the moral obligation of ensuring its citizens are healthy by conducting extensive research. This is the only way that government can ensure that health challenges are addressed effectively. Additionally, sexual and reproduction health docket lies within the ministry of healthy that is fully sponsored by the government. Based on this premises, it is obvious that the state should fund reproduction researches. In certain instances, non-governmental organizations have conducted reproduction health studies, but they have experienced financial constraints. However, through government funding such organizations will be motivated to conduct numerous studies in reproduction health and educate the society.
Cons
Government’s move towards funding reproduction and sexual health will deprive many people access to affordable and quality medical services. The government finances the health care system by using the money it has collected through taxation. Based on this fact, the government will have to increase its taxation rate so that to cover the extra expenditure. This will mean that the cost of living will increase and health care providers will charge highly thus denying low-income earners access to affordable and quality medical services.
Despite this drawback, it remains clear that the government should support sexual and reproduction health research on the basis that it broadens knowledge, help policy makers identify sensitive and key areas that need to be prioritized and it is a government moral obligation to finance the health care system.
Works cited
Faich, Smith. “Perceived research priorities in sexual and reproductive health for low- and middle-income countries: results from a survey.” Geneva: Global Forum for Health Research; 2009.
Moreno, Glacier. "Sexual and reproductive health: a matter of life and death." Lancet 5.4 (2006): 368-398. Print.
