Verified Document

U.S. Vs. The Indian Health Care Systems Essay

U.S. Vs. India Health Care Systems THE INDIAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEMS

Health care refers to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, ailments, and other body malefactions. It refers to measures such as purchasing medical supplies, training, and hiring of medical personnel, financing research in the medical field and supporting treatment of patients (Stavans, 2010). The government and the private sector majorly provide this role. In most of the developed countries, private sector operators provide quality health care while the government only takes care of the medical care for the poor in the society.

The health care systems of the U.S. And India are different as seen from their unique characteristics. The U.S. health care system is run by the federal states and the private sector. It is advanced in terms of quality as seen from the beneficiaries' life expectancy. U.S.s' life expectancy is at a record high of 75 years. In contrast, India's health care system is supported by the unitary government and is provided on a universal basis. There are few private sector operators in India unlike in the case of the U.S. Comparatively; the Indian life expectancy is quite down at 64 years. The following study focuses on the similarities and differences between the U.S. And the Indian healthcare sector.

An analysis of the U.S. health care system

The United States' health care system is the most elaborate health care systems in the world per country ranking. The country has been ranked as a leading globally in terms of health care spending per capita. The federal governments meet 20% of healthcare costs while the private sector covers the remaining 80% of the population (Shi & Singh, 2012).This ratio shows that the people use the private health care facilities more than the public ones. The public health care facilities are mainly meant for the underprivileged in the society. Those who cannot meet the high cost of the medication can have some decent treatment and medical attention from the state (Shi & Singh, 2012). The government has come up with plans meant to finance the provision of health care to its citizens. This is done through such schemes as the Medicare plan, Medicaid among other insurance schemes. Initially, the state only catered for the insurance schemes for the old members of the society. However, the Obama administration recently introduced the Universal health care plan. The difference that this new plan has over the previous Medicare program is that everyone is included in the new plan. The state has ensured that everyone in the U.S. can access quality and affordable health care from the state (Stavans, 2010)

The health care system also has a large pool of physicians. The term physician is used in the U.S. To mean anyone who has attained the minimum training required to be admitted to the medical field. These include those who have trained in the U.S. Or those immigrant medics who have undergone the certification and acquired the license of practice to be a U.S. physician (Shi & Singh, 2012). The U.S. government has been on a mission to create a sufficient pool of medics for a long time. This has been done through the issuing of visas and green cards to trained doctors from all over the world.

An analysis of the Indian health care system

The health care system in India is mainly provided by the private sector, just like in the U.S. The government steps...

Parts of this document are hidden

View Full Document
svg-one

They do this through the many public hospitals established in the rural and remote parts of the country. The main beneficiaries are those in those women and children from poor backgrounds. Unlike in the U.S., the medical cover for most citizens is billed on the individual citizens instead of the government (Nightingale, & McDonald, 2006). The only part that the government has done to boost the health care provided is by subsidizing the cost of drugs offered through the public hospitals. Another unique feature of the health care sector in India is that there is a heavy presence of the traditional medical care available. Most of the rural people prefer the traditional medicine purely because of their low cost and ease of access.
The strength of the health care systems in the two countries

The U.S. health care system has a number of strengths that have made the country stand among the world's countries with the best medical services. The U.S. health care system is fully funded by the government. As strength, this happens through the universal health care plan introduced by the Obama administration where every U.S. citizen has a right to access quality and affordable health care anywhere in the country. The government has guaranteed the existence of a sufficient pool of well-trained medical personnel across the country (Shi & Singh, 2012). Research in the medical field is also at an advanced state. The government has constructed sufficient laboratories, which are well equipped, and that researchers are entitled to sufficient state funding.

The Indian healthcare sector also has a number of strengths. First, its traditional sector is well advanced and has the following of many rural folks. The fact that the traditional medicine is cheap yet effective is an advantage to the citizens since that they are poor. The other strength that the Indian health sector has is that the government subsidizes the cost of medicines available in all public hospitals (Shi & Singh, 2012). This makes the medication affordable, especially given the reality that a larger percentage of the Indian population is mainly poor. Finally, most of the urban hospitals in India are well established to the point that they meet the western standards (Stavans, 2010)

The weaknesses of the health care systems in the two countries

The U.S.' health care system faces a number of weaknesses. One weakness is that the cost of non-insured medication is very high. There has not been any government subsidy on this cost. The other weakness is that the proportion of the medical personnel, despite their large numbers, to that of the general population is not satisfactory. The U.S. population is very high as it keeps increasing even despite the government's efforts to maintain a sustainable size. The main avenue for the unprecedented growth and increase in the population is the issue of illegal immigrants. Sustainability of the universal health care program is also an issue of concern. The reason as to why such is the case is the extremely high costs of running the project. The government has had to increase taxation in order to finance this very ambitious plan (Stavans, 2010).

In India, the presence of weaknesses the healthcare system, first has all to do with accessibility. Most of the residential places in India are in remote areas. The country has also not done much to upgrade its infrastructures such as roads and a sufficient number of hospitals. This makes it hard for citizens to access medical services readily. The other weakness is that there is acutely insufficient number of trained medical personnel in India. Clinical officers are mostly poorly trained run most of the hospitals. (Nightingale & McDonald, 2006).This is a serious. drawback in the desire to have a sound medical management system. Indians also lack a good public medical provision program. This is because of issues to do with funding.

Similarities and Differences of the two systems

One similarity that both countries have is that the governments in either case have established a good plan to alleviate the suffering of the people present. The U.S. government does it by educating the doctors while the role is performed through government subsidies that will help research in India. Secondly, health care funding in the U.S. is done by the state while in India; the individuals do it. There are no traditional healers in the U.S. As in the case of India. The nature of healthcare services also especially in terms of where they are provided. Medical services in India can be given in the street while strictly in medical centers in the U.S. (Shi & Singh, 2012).

Conclusion

Health care services in any country depend on a number of factors. These factors are mainly government-induced. The level of health care has a strong positive correlation with the state of the country's economy. Those countries with good and sound economic status have appropriate efforts instituted to have the best medical service provision achieved. Evidently, the U.S.' system is better unlike the Indian one. The U.S. health care system surpasses the India one in terms of accessibility, cost, and quality (Shi & Singh, 2012). From the advanced U.S. infrastructure, there, is better ease of accessibility of health services compared to India. The role of the government in providing quality healthcare to its citizens cannot be downplayed. As is evident in this study, high life expectancy is a product of quality healthcare. Wherever possible, the government must channel significant funds to the healthcare sector besides focusing on other areas of development. A healthy population is obviously a recipe of sustainable economic…

Sources used in this document:
References

Nightingale, Florence & Lynn McDonald, (2006). Florence Nightingale on health in India. Wilfrid Laurier University Press

Shi, L., & Singh, D. (2012). Essentials of the U.S. health care system. Sudbury, Mass.: Jones and Bartlett.

Stavans, I. (2010). Health care. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

Florence Nightingale the Life and
Words: 7712 Length: 25 Document Type: Thesis

In 1858, Louis Pasteur identified germs, proving that diseases did not 'spontaneously' arise as nightingale thought (Atwell, 1998). However, it was Nightingale that began work as to the conditions that promoted the growth of germs, but she would not know this for many years. The Crimean War: Putting Theory Into Practice When the Crimean War broke out, she began work at once in a British hospital. Her emphasis was placed on

Florence Nightingale's Philosophy of Nursing
Words: 1095 Length: 4 Document Type: Essay

In the Crimean War, she arranged for the physical set-up of the patients' beds, the discarding of the infested and soiled linens and the ensuring of good and maintained ventilation. After the War, she advocated for social reforms, one of which was the review of the British Poor Laws. The recall of this Law initiated its amendment into the Hardy's Bill on 1867. This bill looked into the state of

Florence Nightingale and Her Affect
Words: 693 Length: 3 Document Type: Essay

Nursing Today VI. Conclusion A. The Call to Vocation B. The Influences: Before and After C. Nursing, Feminism, Service, and the Male Ego Reference List Bloy, M. (2010). Florence Nightingale. The Victorian Web. Retrieved from http://www.victorianweb.org/history/crimea/florrie.html This site gives a good history of Nightingale, her service, and the impact she had on nursing. Collected Works of Florence Nightingale. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. Retrieved from http://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Series/CWFN.shtml A great source of information for all the written works of

Florence Nightingale Had a Very
Words: 686 Length: 2 Document Type: Term Paper

But Florence Nightingale was not intimidated by the attitude of the military officers and she decided to fight with all weapons: she contacted the Times and reported the situation in army hospitals, thus forcing the British Army to reorganize their hospitals. Her contribution to the military hospitals paid off when, by improving the quality of sanitation, the number of dead patients was reduced considerably. Florence Nightingale was a strong supporter of

Florence Nightingale Paved the Way for Nursing in 2014
Words: 738 Length: 2 Document Type: Essay

Florence Nightingale -- Nursing Theorist The pioneering healthcare services that Florence Nightingale performed during 1854 Crimean War in Europe is today recognized as the beginning of the organized and sanitary field of nursing. This paper follows the career of Nightingale and recognizes her contribution to the theory of nursing care -- and the development of nursing training -- for the ill and the injured. The Progression of Florence Nightingale's Career From Financial Comfort

Nightingale Florence Nightingale and Environment Theory According
Words: 1927 Length: 6 Document Type: Essay

Nightingale Florence Nightingale and Environment Theory According to most nursing historians, Florence Nightingale is the leading figure in the development of modern nursing. As an early innovator in the field, Nightingale would pioneer many of the ideologies and approach which are still in circulation today. In particular, nursing professionals in her wake would coin the term Environment Theory in order to describe the mode of care that would be her contribution to

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now