Worldwide, approximately 1.3 billion people do not have access to affordable and efficient healthcare and out of those who have access, almost 170 million are forced to spend around 40 % of their income on medical treatment (Asante et al,2016).In low and middle income countries (LMICs), the major constraint to the access of healthcare is financial burden, where out-of-pocket payments (OPP) contribute to approximately 50 % of total health expenditure (WHO, 2010). As a result, in these countries there is high probability of many households being pushed into poverty due to high medical expenses (McIntyre,2006).The matter of concern in LMICS is that poor and disadvantaged groups of population do not have access to adequate quality of healthcare.For instance, according to WHO (2010) up to 20 % of women in rich population are more likely to have a birth attended by skilled health worker than a poor woman. Therefore, taking an action to address health inequities faced in these countries would save up to 700,000 women. Thereby, the ability of universal health coverage, is highly recognised when addressing health inequities, social determinants of health and human rights and it is heralded as “ the third global health transition” ( Rodin and deFerranti, 2012). Universal health Coverage is reflected in the UN sustainable development goals and is strongly encouraged due to its ability to provide an umbrella goal by including both, the millennium development goals (MDGS) as well as
With the focus on these five areas, Governments in each country are creating health systems that aim to provide services that are affordable, equitable and accessible. To achieve a sustainable health system, cooperation and participation of all health care providers is vital. This will work towards WHO’s goal of achieving “better health for all”
The cost of care has been a growing problem throughout developed nations during the last 15 years. For example, across 34 nations that make up the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the average per capita health care expenditure increased by more than 70 percent between 2000 and 2010. However, the biggest spenders — such as
The problem is that in many places, there is a huge difference between the rich and poor in different countries when it comes to the use and availability of health insurance (Kalenscher (2014). Health insurance is dependent on many factors including affordability, family finance, and culture, religious and past experiences (Kalenscher). Availability alone does not determine whether poor people and ethnic minorities take advantage of health insurance availability. Kalenscher tells us that lack of access to health care causes for “persistence of poverty and a major factor in worsening the burden of the poor” (2014). Poor people don’t have access and have different attitudes towards health than wealthy people. An example is given by Kalenscher to illustrate how life expectancy is dependent on wealth (and accessibility to health insurance (read proper health care)
With the world becoming increasingly focused on global health there are elements that must be addressed in order to effectively analyze a healthcare system. There are instances in which healthcare systems are influenced by both domestic policy as well as international policy. The Millennium Development Goals (MDG) is an international development agenda agreed upon by 189 countries worldwide focused on addressing the most urgent global development (Skolnik, 2012). By agreeing to this agenda, countries will strive to reach improved measures of health outcomes. One area which would provide the greatest benefit is in addressing health disparity in the least economically developed regions of the world. The establishment of such goals will ensure that countries who are affected by health disparity have the appropriate forum from which they can address these issues from. Data collected from said health outcomes can help to identify if countries are on track to meet these established goals. The information may also prove valuable in highlighting inefficiencies within the system of care could impact both cost of care and patient outcomes (Skolnik, 2012).
Maternal death rates are higher in poor women than they are rich women. Women that need contraceptives to protect themselves from harm cannot get to them as easily as rich women can. (Wagner 3) Refusing poor women medication leads to medical complications. Consequently, the high price of contraceptives should be lowered to be accessible for women of all wealth and classes due to the fact that it could save lives. Refusing women these prescriptions that can save their lives is an inhumane behavior and without lowering the prices, the population will continue to treat these women poorly. A factor in the high prices is the amount of money the government and hospitals receive through treating patients. The problem is that there is more money in treating a patient than preventing a disease or virus from happening in the first place. Being in poverty goes hand in hand with health. Without money, receiving the medical care needed is nearly impossible. (Torr 25) Even having an opportunity to lower health care prices or preventing diseases, the people in charge of this matter may hesitate to due to the high amount of money they receive in treating an
Growing up in a third world country, the majority of the people in my country lacked adequate medical access, opportunities for economic growth, and a quality education. Children would leave school at an early age to help their families to make ends meet. In addition, economic growth was elusive due to the scarcity of job opportunities and being stuck in dead-end jobs. Just like the majority of third world countries, Egypt is medically underserved. I’m referring to an entire country, not just a state, city or district. A person will not be provided care if he cannot afford it, this is a debilitating flaw in the Egyptian healthcare system. To exacerbate the difficult circumstances, even those who can afford healthcare are not guaranteed better health simply due to
Universal health care coverage-or universal care also referred to, is essentially the existence and set up of a health care system which makes health care and financial protection available to all citizens of a particular nation (Gupta & Muraleedharan, 2014). It operates by having a certain set of service package available to the society at large, and the bigger objectives of the coverage are usually to offer protection of financial risks, improve the health outcomes and improve access to basic health services. Nonetheless, it is not a service that is completely conventional and universal in its
A considerable amount of people around this world does not have access to basic health care. Poor sanitation, exposure to harmful materials, and disease are just a few of the problems which can lead to the death of billions in this world. Unfortunately, one needs to be wealthy in order to protect oneself from these developing diseases. According to The Health Site, “39 million people are forced into poverty in India” due to the extreme costs of health management. One could infer from this context that medical care is perceived as a luxury in India, not as a necessity; this alone has the power to create a great decline within the nation’s population. However, this can be changed if enough people
The healthcare footprint is defined as, “the actions and decisions that impact the health of people worldwide” (Health, 2009). The environment, economics and political willpower are all cornerstones of the healthcare footprint. Health is a generally broad term used to describe much more than just a person’s physical well-being; it also includes a person’s mental and social well-being. All of these well-beings extend beyond if someone is ill or not going to the dentist. Issues like access to clean drinking water, funding clinics and triaging individuals relate to the healthcare footprint (Health, 2009). One significant concern is that improvements in medicine and healthcare are not equitably spread across all countries--poorer countries (like those in Africa) lack modern advances and deal with extra challenges like Ebola and increasing cases of HIV/AIDS. Another concern about health care is that the political realm of governments control how budgets are spent and more specifically if people can have equal access to care when illness strikes and preventable care to avoid disease.
Genetically modified organisms have been a highly debated issue not only in the United States but in third world countries. There are arguments stating that with the help of genetically modified organisms world hunger may be conquered; likewise, there are strong arguments refusing the use of genetically modified foods in developing countries, since GMOs only help feed the already overfed rich. Using genetically modified technology to improve crops in the developing world, is not a solution when trying to end world hunger.
Amongst developed and developing countries, there is one common obstacle amongst them all. That common obstacle is innovating and implementing an efficient health care. Every country has had their share of figuring out the most efficient way to operate a health care system. Although the issue of health care systems are common, it is more severe in some countries than others. In developing countries, access to care be very difficult. The biggest hurdle, for individuals in these countries, is health care can be a minimum of 5 miles away. In developed countries, health care is typically more accessible. Yet the hurdle of health care expenditures still exist. How do they fund healthcare? How do they provide quality care to the mentally,
Initial acknowledgement must be given to the fact that every nation will have obstacles or variables that will vary from country – to country, these will consist of their population, general overall health of their population, socioeconomic conditions, health system infrastructure (densely concentrated, widely dispersed), and political process or form of government that would be the major influence in designing a universal health policy.
Paul Collier is the author of The Bottom Billion a 2007 book about Lesser Developed Countries (LDCs) and why they struggle to progress despite vast amounts of foreign aid. Collier makes the argument that while much of LDCs are becoming wealthier, this isn’t the case in Africa and Central Asia who is stuck due to four development traps. Seventy percent of the bottom billion is in Africa.
The Third World was a term coined to distinguish nations that neither aligned with the First World developed countries nor the Second World Communist Countries during the Cold War. However, modern day usage denotes countries with low Human Development Index (HDI) that suffer from political, social and economic underdevelopment. The United Nations finds "Third World" term slightly pejorative and prefers the label "less developed countries" (LDCs). Terminology notwithstanding, LDCs suffer from underdevelopment and poverty. "At the grassroots level, economic underdevelopment connotes
Based on the fact that most of China’s OFDI flow to emerging market countries,i raise the following hypothesis: