What are urgent medical needs according to Humanity Direct?
Urgent medical needs refer to immediate or critical health issues that require prompt attention and intervention to prevent further complications or potentially save a person’s life. These can range from sudden injuries such as fractures, burns, or severe cuts to acute illnesses like heart attacks, strokes, or severe allergic reactions. Urgent medical needs can also include conditions that cause significant pain or distress, such as kidney stones, severe infections, or uncontrolled asthma attacks.
Urgent medical needs in a country with a less than robust health care infrastructure, however, is another matter entirely.
Healthcare in these countries is entirely different to the healthcare we encounter in the UK. Many of us can access a GP, or optician, or even walk into a high street pharmacy and purchase some over the counter medicine. We also have the option of having an appointment, or placing a medicine order, online or over the phone.
People who live in remote areas don’t necessarily have the infrastructure access to do any of these things. Urgent medical needs (and non-urgent medical needs) have several layers of complexity attached to them.
Through education, advocacy, and support, charities like us can make a significant impact in addressing urgent medical needs and improving health outcomes for all.
