Analyzing Hierarchy and Power in the Australian Healthcare System

This essay delves into the hierarchical structures and power dynamics inherent in the Australian healthcare system. It begins by establishing the significance of healthcare for societal stability and growth, introducing sociological theories like functionalism, conflict theory, and symbolic interactionism to analyze healthcare practices. The essay provides basic knowledge about the concept of health, medicine, and healthcare practices. The main body examines these theories in detail, including functionalism's perspective on sick roles and the physician-patient relationship, conflict theory's critique of inequalities in healthcare access, and symbolic interactionism's view of health and illness as social constructs. The essay discusses the functionalism theory in relation to health care in society is given by Talcott Parsons in 1951. He coined term sick role with relation to defining the legitimacy of the illness of an individual in society and also discusses the conflict theory. It also critiques the limitations of these theories and their relevance to contemporary healthcare challenges. Overall, the essay offers a comprehensive sociological analysis of the Australian healthcare system, highlighting the complex interplay of power, inequality, and social constructs within the healthcare landscape.

ESSAY

Topic: Hierarchy and power are intrinsic to the current health care system in Australia.
INTRODUCTION
This is can be stated that there is an significant role of health and health care facilities to the
growth of society and the stability of the society. Increased care for illness leads to enhancing
stability in society and towards the construction of society. The various theories developed by the
researcher helps in regulating and restricting the illegal practices of the professionals of health
care in society. The various theories like functionality theory helps in developing an correlation
between the medical care and the sufferer of disease. While the conflicting theory focuses on the
roles and duties of an practitioner in order to maintain legal and ethical practices in working
environment (Bleakley, Bligh & Browne, 2011). Both these theories helps the patients to recover
from the issues by getting and quality of the services. While the symbolic interaction between the
people of society and the medical professional helps in delegating the responsibilities more
efficiently and accurately. In this particular report the various theories to the health care practices
are discussed in order to bring an correlation between the sociological theories and the health
care practices.
MAIN BODY
Before reviewing to the sociological theories the individual should have basic knowledge
about the concept of health, medicine, and health care practices. All these terms correlates to the
human being and their healthy lives to give their best response to the development of society.
Health is term which describes about the mental. physical and social behaviour of an individual.
The condition of these aspects in human beings are rights then the individual is considered as an
healthy person. The individual should be actively involved in sociological activities with fully
involved from is mental as well as physical state (Walshe & Smith, 2011). While medicines is
the tool developed by medical science in order to deal passively with the various disease and
sufferings by effective diagnose and treatment to the illness. While health care is the services
which involves providing such guidance and assistance to the patient or individual to recover

form disease by diagnosing the sickness efficiently by health care professional or practitioner.
The different theories helps in development and stability in society by increasing healthy lives in
society and reducing the illness factors. The following table discuses about the sociological
perspective of health and health care practices in society contributing to development of
communities.
Theoretical prospective
of health in society
Assumptions to sociological theories
Functionalism These particular theories deal with the legitimacy of the sickness of
an individual. This theory states various sick roles that should be
expressed by a person in order to gain society concerns and
acceptability of illness in social life. This helps in brining exemptions
from the normal obligation in society by an individual. This describes
that there is a nature of hierarchical relationship between the
practitioner or medical care professional and ill person or sufferer.
They follows a relationship which states that physician instructs the
individual or guides him and patent follows his advice to recover
from disease fast. This theory states that good health and quality
medical care is importance for developing stability in function of
society and development of society as well.
Conflict theory There is huge availability of differences in the health of society
people and the quality of medical care practices. There is a presence
of conflicting situation between the ill people of society and the
lower quality of professional medical care and assessments. The
practitioner is involved in making large amount of profit and money
from the disadvantaged social group of society. These groups
belongs background of to poor and underprivileged communities of
society which are largely conflicted by in terms of health and the
lower quality medical care. These people are more likely to sufferer
from any disease as they are lack of basic facilities and education to
deal with various diseases. So, the medical care professional are
engaged in making partial profit by conveying social problem as
medical problems.
Symbolic Health and sickness of an individual birth are considered as the two

Interactionism different defining aspects of social constructions and destruction. The
illness brings instability while healthy people lead to development of
society and communities. The physical and mental health does not
conclude to any sense or objectives in reality until and unless this is
not linked with the perceptions of society and these aspects are not
defined by society appropriately. The illness or sickness of an
individual or large number of people if society is considered to be
destructive for future growth while the healthy society will leads to
more prosperity in functions as well as in life. As per this theory the
medical care professional are having authorities to represent the
situation and experiences their knowledge in front of people. This is
considered as symbolic presentation as the practitioner develop a new
era of health care and provide effect assistance to the patents as per
their experience and gained knowledge.
Functionalism Theory: This particular respective functions for maintaining good health
in society through developing efficient medical care which are important for developing higher
abilities in society to function appropriately. The bad health will leads to large number of
sociological problems. This will negatively affect the growth of society in environment. Bad
health of individual restricts an individual to perform their roles in society efficiently. If the
society of having large number of unhealthy person then this will adversely affect the stability
and functionality of society to large extent. One of the consequences of the ill health is premature
death which is a bad return to society (Jowsey and et. al., 2012). As this involves large number of
cost incurred in pregnancy, in childbirth, cost of care and socialisation the individual who later
on lasts with early death. Poor health care practices in society will leads to unhealthy practice
along with incurring longevity with disease and also increases more numbers of unhealthy
persons.
The functionality theory in relation to health care in society is given by Talcott Parsons in
1951. He coined term sick role with relation to defining the legitimately of the illness of an
individual in society. If person shows aspects of sick role then only the society will considers the
person sick (Yin and et. al., 2012). Parson defines the various expectation form the sick role

which describes the 3 role of sick which is considered to be legitimate for family, friends and
society. These roles given by parsons are discussed below.
First role: The illness of an individual should not be caused by own actions of person.
The individual should not be the reason for his own illness. Otherwise the legitimacy to the sick
conditions of person is not considered in society. Like for an example the person found to be
drunk while driving and smashes his car into trunk of tree will gain less sympathy from society
in comparison with the an sober person skidded from road. The person gains higher concern of
society people as the compared to other person who was drunk as the people precepts that he is
gone to his destiny.
Second role: The sick conditions and illness of an individual was considered to be ethical
and legal is the person wants to recover from disease. If sufferer does not want to get well then
the respective persons does not fall under sick role (Westerman, 2010). The persons who do not
want to get healthy are considered as they are faking their unhealthy condition and escaping after
treatment will be considers as illegitimate to sick role of a person by friends, known people and
society also.
Third role: The sickness of an individual should be confirmed from the physician test and
their report. Otherwise the legitimacy to individual illness is not provided. The health care
professional instruction and advices should be followed up a sufferer to become healthy person.
If person is not following the advice of practitioner then he is not again legitimate to the sick role
and the society will discard patient from his sickness.
If all the exemptions of sick rile defined by Parson is followed by an individual then only
he is liable to be treated as ill person by his family members, friends and society people. Then he
is given full care of relatives and suggested to take bed rest even he want to be active for some
time period in order to recover from illness faster. As per the views of the Parson he added that
the relationship of an practitioner and patient is following an hierarchical order. The health care
practitioners provide instructions and guidance to the sick person and the patient follows the
advice to become well. The physicians have to carry out series of actions in order to helping the
patient for faster recovery from disease (Hungerford & Kench, 2015). The first action that have
to be followed by an health care professional is diagnosing the disease or illnesses then selecting
the appropriate treatment of sickness and guiding the patent to follow up instructions in practice.
In order to carry out such activities like diagnosing the sickness the patent have to corporate with

the physician and should appropriate information and answer to the questions of practitioner.
This will helps him in making efficient treatment plan for the ill person. This Parson added that
the relation of patent and professional health care is hierarchical in nature one provides
instructions other follows up.
This particular theory is also criticised by people as the concept of sick role seems to be
valid only for short term disease. This theory does not describe the nature of patient and
responses of society with chronic illness that stays for longer time period. This particular
functionality theory appeals for the acute disease not relevant for the chronic disease. This theory
describes most of the time situations in which an person enters some kind of acute sickness sand
get recovered within shorter span of time after taking adequate mediate treatment prescribed by
physician. While the chronic illness locks up the individual in phase of longer sickness or even
permanent illness (Sebrant, 2014). This particular theory given by Parsons rejects the fact which
was earlier stated that the society people and their responses largely influence the person health.
The background development of society largely affects the likelihood of an individual to become
ill or also contribute in the delivered quality of medical care in social life. Other critics of this
particular theory are that Parson describes the relationship of an practitioner and patient in from
of hierarchy. But this fact is rejected by the society as in toady scenario the patient are free to
consult with their practitioner. The experts are suggesting patient to reduce the gap of hierarchy
by questioning various aspects related with disease, treatment, recovery time etc. to their
physician in order to actively respond towards the disease and illness.
Conflict Theory: As per the views of conflicting theory it can de defied as that the
medical practitioner always correlates the situation of social problem with the medical
assessments and treatments. They are always making ways to deal with such social issues in
order to gain higher popularity and money for treatment. The respective conflict theory deals
with the fact that there is a state of inequality between the medical care and social as well as
physical health of person (Lluch, 2011). There is a huge conflict between the responsibilities of
an medical health care professional and role of patient in recovering from disease.
The conflicting situation between the medical care practices and the health arises from
the differences in the various social aspects like social class, gender, ethnicity and race which
follows an lower background societies which are most susceptible to different kind of disease.
The availability of inadequate professional care also make it more difficult to get well. As per the

views of conflicting theories this can be evidenced that this approaches criticise the efforts and
contribution of an health care practitioner who is engaged in representing the social problems as
the medical problems. This is having both bad and good phase. The practitioner believes that is
has an most qualified professionals and skills in order to diagnose and treat such medical issue
which is an good aspect for medical care. While on the other hand the practitioner also engaged
in making more and more money from the these medical treatments charges higher rates form
the underprivileged group of society (Hedegaard & Ahl, 2013). This helps in monopolising the
social issue as medical treatment. After the existence of medical treatment for an particular social
problems than the people neglect their social roots of disease and solution by home remedies or
through social customs.
Symbolic Interactionism: This particular symbolic interaction theory states that
the relation between professional and the patients can be symbolised in many way
to provide significant differences in delegation of authorities and responsibilities.
The practitioner always managed the situations by implementing his experiences
and professional knowledge in practices. The patient has to get appointment before
showing the symptoms of disease in front of doctor. This particular theory focuses
on the fact that health or sickness both is constructive in nature for development of
society (Young and et. al., 2010). These both leads to stability of social like in
different ways. The mental or physical health does not have any specific objectives
in reality if this is not defined with the social interactions and perception. As before
opium is not considered as drug and prescribed freely by the medical care
practitioners. Nut now these drugs are banned by the government as society people
are taking these without prescription and using them with different perception. The
management to the situation may have significant role for an professional medical
care at the time of gynaecological examination by professional (de Souza & Pidd,
2011). This should be purely professional in nature or maintain situation of desex
which will helps in comforting the patient for further medical treatment and health

care. This interaction should be symbolised as professional and only related with
the health issue.
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion in essay this can be ended with the conclusion of that symbolic
interaction helps in covering the suggestion of an PR actioner to the patient so that their advice
can develop healthy growth in society. Increased illness in society is most likely present in the
communities with poor background and the group who are less educated. By acting responsibly
the practitioner can helps them in faster recovery from the suffering. But the practitioner is
involved in making more and more profit by converting social issues as a medical issue. But
modern approach to the sociological theory by developing symbolic interaction helps in more
lisgatsmat8y towards the illness and sickness. The practitioner is more responsive towards his
duties. In this particular report it is ended with discussion that how practitioner can advise the
patient to follow some instructions to recover fast from disease and react responsibly in the
society development. The conflicting state between the health and heath care practices can be
reviewed through acting more responsibly and actively towards the sociological issues.

REFERENCES
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Online
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