International Health Culture: The other side of the fence

Visiting South Africa to attend the International Bone and Joint Conference this fall afforded me the opportunity to listen and learn from my colleagues and healthcare professionals. These are some of the things they shared about MSK diseases and the healthcare culture in their countries.

JIA is a life threatening disease in South Africa.

There are more than two million reported hip fractures per year around the world.

In the Zulu dialects there is no common language to express pain. The South African government, department of Arts and Culture is using song as an educational tool to teach the people.

One of the major contributors to the development of Osteoarthritis is meniscus tears. Two hundred and fifty meniscus surgeries per 100,000 are performed in Sweden each year; 700,000 are done in the US.

When medical supplies are running short our first thoughts turn to accessing lifesaving medications. We don’t think about surgical gloves and a nurse being required to wear a size eight when she needs a size six.

The people of South Africa learn about their culture by visiting the herbal pharmacists who not only soothe the conditions that ail them but also teach them about their culture and the traditional medicines of their ancestors.

In Britain and Europe prejudice from workplace colleagues is as great a challenge to staying employed as the employer’s acceptance of disability, i.e., getting employed.

Seat belts are mandatory in Turkey. To prevent traffic accidents, smoking and the use of cell phones while driving is prohibited.

The Indian government has just begun to listen to experts when they speak about improving the lives of people with MSK diseases.

In New Zealand a Green Prescription is a health professional’s written advice to a patient to be physically active.

The Arthritis Foundation of South Africa is keen to enable children in the public healthcare sector to have access to biologics. A 12-month course, if given early enough in the development of the disease, will allow a child who would otherwise be destined to a life of pain, disability and dependence, to grow up perfectly normally and totally disease-free. No special concessions will be necessary for them to be employed in the future.

In South Africa and Kenya, public awareness of arthritis is one of the hot topics.