The global healthcare industry is estimated to be USD $6.5 trillion in 2014. [1]
Healthcare is driven by money, not by patient well-being, which makes it extremely unfair in many ways:
- Cost:
- In most countries, we have to pay for our healthcare, which means the rich have better access to healthcare than the poor.
- Sometimes people can't afford to see a doctor and sometimes they can't afford the medication. Pharmaceutical companies are notorious for overcharging for medication.
- About 1/3 of the world's population (about 2 billion people) don't have access to essential medicines. [2]
- Doctors are one of the highest paid professionals in the world, yet they don't guarantee that we'll be healed. In many cases we're healed, in others we're not, so we pay for treatments that don't work, like paying for a TV that doesn't work. The difference is that when we see a doctor, we can't get our money back. Should doctors be paid only after patients are healed? Or be paid a certain amount up front and then the rest after the patient is healed?
- Lack Of Incentive To Heal:
- With money as a motivator, doctors, pharmaceutical companies and the entire healthcare industry have little incentive to heal people quickly and permanently because sick people generate money. For example, doctors may request unnecessary repeat visits in order to make more money.
- Not Enough Doctors:
- There aren't enough doctors to go around, especially in rural communities, which means some people don't have a family doctor. Doctors are drawn to more lucrative markets, such as big cities where they're paid more and where they see a wider variety of cases.
- Sometimes, doctors who work long hours are tired, they may see patients quickly or aren't as thorough as they should be. As a result, the quality of patient care is less than optimal.
- Long Waits:
- Family doctors tend to overbook their daily schedules to ensure they see enough patients to meet their monetary requirements, which means they're often running late. At the doctor's office, it's not uncommon to wait for over an hour past a scheduled appointment. Somehow the doctor's time is more important than the patient's time.
- If a person doesn't have a family doctor they have to go to emergency, where the waits can be hours long. Sometimes the waits are intentionally long to dissuade people from showing up at emergency with a cold. Emergency is for emergencies; however, without a family doctor, many patients have no choice. Again, the patient's time is disregarded.
- Aggressive Marketing:
- Pharmaceutical companies are constantly advertising their medications on TV, in magazines, the internet etc. There appears to be a pill for almost everything. We're given the impression that medication will solve all our problems, but it doesn't. Sometimes the medication works, sometimes it doesn't, and sometimes we suffer side-effects and/or become addicts.
- Pharmaceutical companies also seek to establish business relationships with doctors so doctors can prescribe their medications over that of their competitors.
- Mismanagement And Corruption:
- In some places of the world, mismanagement and corruption in the healthcare sector means money isn't spent as it should be. It's siphoned off into various pockets before it gets to its intended destination. As a result, patients suffer and even die.
- Due to mismanagement, lack of planning and/or foresight, which results in limited budgets, staff and/or space:
- Patients Aren't Admitted: Sometimes hospitals are full and there aren't enough beds. As a result, patients may not be admitted because there's no room.
- Patient's Are Sent Home Prematurely: Some patients may be sent home prematurely in order to make room for other patients. As a result, they receive less than optimal care.
- No Dignity For Patients: Due to limited space, sometimes patients end up on the hospital floor or on beds in corridors. This affects their dignity and their ability to recover quickly.
- Cramped Rooms / Dormitories: Patients often have to share space with other patients, which affects their ability to sleep (which is vital for their rest and recovery) and increases their likelihood of catching a contagious disease.
- Institutional Food: Hospital food can be on the lower end of the nutritious spectrum, which affects patients ability to recover quickly, since proper diet and nutrition is a big part of our health and well-being.
- Lack Of Medical Equipment And Supplies: Without the proper medical equipment and supplies, medical personnel can't do their jobs properly.
Healthcare has to stop being a business. It has to become a benevolent service offered freely, openly and at the highest standard of quality to everyone in the world. We should be able to travel anywhere in the world without having to worry about health insurance or access to medical services.
Round tables need to be established to find a fair and equitable system that provides benevolent healthcare to everyone on earth.
In everything we do, we should seek to benefit others instead of ourselves.
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References:
- Introduction To The Healthcare Industry. www.plunkettresearch.com. Retrieved Nov 3, 2014.
- The World's Medicines Situation 2011: Access To Essential Medicines As Part of The Right To Health. World Health Organization. Retrieved Nov 3, 2014.
Copyright © 2014, Carter Kagume. All Rights Reserved.
