Anthropological, Cultural and Ethical Aspects of Caring for Patients in Africa

Abstract

Nowadays, faced with pandemic infectious diseases and incurable genetic pathologies with unfavorable prognoses, the concepts of quality of life, quality of care, and the challenges of the right to health for all are major challenges for global public health. These health crises push for anthropological, cultural, and ethical approaches that would promote good care for the sick in Africa. A synthesis study based on specialized scientific literature was carried out to present the different ways of providing care to patients. The objectives of this research were to: present the philosophy of care in ancient Greece, expose the anthropological and cultural aspects of care for the sick in Africa, and finally, show the contemporary ethical challenges of therapeutic patient care. The care of their sick counterparts is encoded in the genes of higher mammals, especially in “Homo Sapiens”. Over the years, care for the sick in ancient Greece, which was initially conceived as a blurry artistic mixture of metaphysics and physico-naturalism, gradually became rationalized and systematized to become “tekhnê”, the art and technique of modern medicine. Meanwhile, the traditional African approach to care, which has not evolved much and is mainly based on an agrarian civilization, has consisted of bringing together all cosmic and supernatural elements into a totality, where nature is combined and associated, and solidarity, caring, and empathy are combined, so that the entire community is invested in the healing mission. Therefore, the patient is never condemned to be alone in their hospital room to face their loneliness and nothingness.<