RedGage

I was recently discussing healthcare with a friend in light of current debate and we came to the conclusion that the UK is one of the lucky ones in terms of the options available to us. Although one may argue the NHS isn’t perfect, it is to a good standard in comparison to many of the world’ public healthcare systems. What’s more, we also have a good quality, affordable private system.

In contrast, some countries are really struggling to provide proficient, let alone exemplary, healthcare for their people. China, for example, has been struggling since Deng Xiaoping broke up their healthcare system, which up until that point had been state-supported. Conditions in their new system are now terrible, particularly in the clinics where you’ll find multiple patients being examined in one room, and poor care. Then if your medical issue is escalated you have to go through the hospitals (country, then provincial, then specialist ones). All of this has led to an increase in violent attacks on doctors from patients.

The government has been trying to rectify these problems, such as through heavily investing money in the system to elevate the quality of services. The majority of the rural population now has health insurance which is around a 21% difference compared to 10 years ago. But the cost of basic medical services has risen so to try and help with that, China is trying to embrace new technologies and better training for doctors, etc. to help improve the care they can offer where possible.

South Africa is another country that has problems, although theirs seem more extreme in comparison to China. It has the biggest population of HIV sufferers and growing rates of tuberculosis. In recent years the country has spent more on healthcare than other countries but their results are worse.

There is a strange dichotomy between South Africa’s public and private healthcare sectors. The private sector is excellent and known for its quality of fertility treatments and therefore, brings in a lot of custom from outside of the country. However, most South Africans can’t afford the costs, which makes you wonder why they have a system than caters to everyone but their own country. Fortunately, things are quite different in the UK, where specialised healthcare is affordable and available to UK citizens. The South African public healthcare system has overcrowded facilities, and lacks sufficient drugs and doctors. Not everything in hospitals is free and illnesses aren’t always prevented from worsening, and for those who live in the rural areas, it’s hard to even get to a health clinic.

There have been some improvements over the years; they’ve successfully increased the country’s life expectancy from around 50 to 60 with their HIV treatment. And the government is planning on introducing a national health insurance scheme which is designed to ensure the public and private sectors complement each other and mutually benefit the population, rather than being so separate.

Egypt differs; it has well stocked hospitals but not enough doctors to work in them. The government offers all people free 48 hour access to emergency hospitals but this isn’t the norm across the country because due to lack of funding for doctors, some hospitals have to charge patients so they can remain open. So doctors go to work in the private sector instead, which many citizens can’t afford. There is a scheme run by the state for children, government workers and their families, but the quality is so poor and it’s so hard to access the service, few use it. The upshot is that those that can access some kind of health care aren’t much better off than those who can’t.

These are just a few areas of the world that are struggling to meet the healthcare needs of their populations - there are many others with similar problems. The UK is fortunate, we have two options; both are accessible, affordable, and most importantly, provide healthcare of a high standard.