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Functionalism:

Functionalism perspective of the health and healthcare practices are significant points of discussion in the present topic of study. Boley et al. (2014) mentioned that the significant part is however in understanding the actual meaning of health and healthcare prior to detailing the contribution of functionalism on the development of the same among the health practitioners. Physical, psychological and sociological health actually is wrapped under a single concept of health of a person. Any segment contributing the health has to be well for overall good health of a person. Even a person with good physical health cannot be called healthy if the mental of sociological health of the person is not well. Diagnosis can lead to treatment with appropriate medicine which helps in treatment and stops spreading of the disease or ailment of any form. The service provided to any person to diagnose the illness, treat the ailment and prevent further spreading of the illness can be known as medicine which forms one of the most significant part of the healthcare process. The health practitioners resort to the three main pillars for maintaining healthy atmosphere in the surrounding.

The primary assumptions take n for the theoretical concept of functionalism are summarized as discussed next. The most significant assumption is that the silky operation of any society or group can be possible if the people are healthy and proper health care is available as and when required. “Sick role” is performed by the patients to be seen as ill and excused from all obligations of normal chores to be free from the bounding and be treated properly. The relationship between physician and patient is such that the patients are compelled to follow the instructions provided to them by the physicians. The physicians are responsible for the good health and instruct the patients in accordance to the medical requirements.

The functionalist approach concentrates on all the possible factors that emphasize the well being of the society in terms of health. The main thought process behind the approach is to enhance the working capability of the society. More number of health problems can only hamper the working capacity and productivity of a society. Even the proper functioning of the society along with social stability is hampered by such health issues. The most interesting part is that the different aids provided to the persons in different cases of physical unfit state like during pregnancy, giving birth to a baby, providing care for children and other similar incidents are considered as social costs. A person can return the cost expensed for the same by being helpful in social activities and capable functioning for the society. The most significant jolt in the process comes in the form of premature or untimely death. The social costs are drained without proper returns. Society needs proper health care systems in place to recover the health issues of any person with deteriorating health. Campbell (2014) stated that only effective health care can be useful in helping the society remain in sound health. Illness needs to be addressed soon for regaining health and also the healthy people needs guidance to prevent falling ill.

The significant parts of the functionalism theory needs to be realized. The patients who are suffering from the health issues need not be held responsible for the illness they are suffering from. In other words, if any cases are observed that evokes the idea that the person fallen ill or suffering from illness can actually be held responsible for the situation and intentional acts have caused the illness, then empathetic attitude of society automatically reduces for the person. Here, it is important to note that the ill person is said to be performing the “sick role” in the society. A person who suffered accident due to skidding in rainy highway will evoke sympathy in the people unlike a person who suffered accident due to drinking while driving or ignoring traffic signals.

Another assumption of the functionalism is that the person suffering from illness has to be willing and cooperative in medical treatment provided by medical practitioners to get well soon. In any case, if people understand that the person is actually not willing to get well or even if it is felt that the illness is a pretention, society no more considers providing any soft corner for the sick person.  On the contrary, Thompson (2013) observed that if the medical practitioners find the persons are actually ill and wants to become fit, society provides complete support to the person. Proper treatment is provided by the medical practitioners along with all sorts of aids from the family, friends and the surrounding people. Medical practitioners prescribe rest and the sick person is restrained from all normal activities to get well faster. Even when the ill person wants to do the normal chores of daily routine, family members restrain the person from the same.

The functionalism approach is definitely applicable in understanding the relation between the health of any individual of society and the health of society on a whole. The limitations of the approach are however identified after significant research works. The concept of sick role sketched by the functionalism theory is applicable for people suffering from short term yet acute illness. Chronic illness seems to be uncovered under the range of the present theory. The concept ignores the chances of falling ill and healthcare available is dependent on the social background of a person. Thirdly, the patient-doctor relationship needs to be addressed in the theory as in present time, patients need to be more outspoken and enquire with minute details from the medical practitioners for better quality of healthcare.

Weberianism:

Weberianism was developed by the famous conflict theorist Max Weber. The concept of Weberianism states that inability to secure resources among all the inhabitants of the society is the cause of inequality among the society.  On the other hand, Christensen and Carpiano (2014) mentioned that Weberianism also states that abstract features like power, status and others are subjected to unequal distribution leading to polarization of power among certain group of people in the society. The Weberianism is also denoted by conflict theory.

The concepts and assumptions of the theory are that the inequality of society in terms of wealth and power actually hinders in the equal distribution of the healthcare leading to difference in quality of health among the unequal groups in the society. The theory states that the already ill are even more prone to become more ill due to less advantage on the unprivileged section of the society. The people from social background with lower status are even allotted lower portion of healthcare services in comparison to the people belonging to higher social background. The medical practitioners tend to state social problems as medical issues which help the practitioners to increase the income share with time.

Society is segmented on the basis of race, culture, ethos, gender and social class. The divisions of the society reflect the division of health care services provided to the people who are segregated according to the borderlines. The unprivileged people tend to fall ill and the chances of recovery of such people become lower due to the meager portion of healthcare services provided to them. Barnfield (2016) argued that medical practitioners also needed to be more active in terms of dealing will the social illness alike the medical illness. Instead, the group is observed to be more inclined towards the money matters than the social matters. The social problems get defined as medical problem when asked from the medical practitioners which leads to a considerable amount of earnings in their pockets. The medical named social problems always remain untreated and moves on with the same volume of sickness.

The conflict approach is also scanned under the critics’ perspective. The approach has come up as a harsh approach with a skeptic approach towards the functioning of the medical practitioners. The most warning part of the concept states that the performance and the role of the medical practitioners are completely stated as avoiding the responsibilities. On the contrary, Boley et al. (2014) mentioned that preventive medicines have been boon to the healthcare services in the society. The inventions in the field of medical science can be significant reason for healthcare service development across the globe and enhancing the overall health standards of the society. However, the medical practitioners are seen to appreciate the approach of considering the group as being responsible for social welfare of the society. The most significant part of the theory is however on the realistic approach of social inequality which impacts on the availability of healthcare services in the society. The quality of healthcare services, medicine and treatment is said to be directly proportional to the social and economic status of the person becoming ill. The study reveals that the welfaristic theory is much more practical in the scenario of modern times while the functionalist theory can be considered less as applicable in present time.

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