Introduction A country’s health care system refers to all the institutions, programs, personnel, procedures, and the resources that are used to meet the health needs of its population. Health care systems vary from one country to another, depending on government policies and the health needs of the population. Besides, health care programs are flexible in the sense that they are tailored to meet health needs as they arise. Among the stakeholders in the formulation of a country’s health care system are governments, religious groups, non-governmental organizations, charity organizations, trade/labor unions, and interested individuals (Duckett, 2008). These entities formulate, implement, evaluate, and reform health services according to the needs of the sections of the population they target. In the contrary, governments have the responsibility of ensuring all the citizens access quality health care, more so in public health facilities (Duckett, 2008). Despite the various forms taken by health care systems in the world, they seem to have common goals. These goals include the good health of their populations, equity and equality in health care funding among others. To achieve these goals, the functions to be executed include the generation of more resources, delivery of health services, and good leadership/management. This paper explores the Australian health care system, particularly its challenges, strengths, weaknesses, and the proposed reforms. The Australian Health Care System The Australian health care system comprises both the public and the private health sub-sectors. The health care system concerns itself with the financing, formulation, implementation, evaluation, and reforming of health services. The main sources of f... ... middle of paper ... ...For Public Health? Medical Journal. Retrieved on March 29th , 2011 from http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/188_12_160608/rus10476_fm.html. Productivity Commission (2006) Australia’s health workforce. Research report. Canberra: Productivity Commission. Retrieved on March 29th, 2011 from http://www.pc.gov.au/study/healthworkforce/finalreport/index.html. Turrell, G. et al. (2006) Health inequalities in Australia: morbidity, health behaviors, risk factors and health service use. Canberra: Queensland University of Technology and the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2006. Retrieved on March 29th, 2011 from http://152.91.62.50/publications/phe/hiamhbrfhsu/hiamhbrfhsu-c00.pdf. Van Der Weyden, M. B. (2006) It’s Time for Change and Resolve. Medical Journal. Retrieved on March 29th, 2011 from http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/187_11_031207/van11312_fm.html.
Mooney, G Collard, K Taylor, T (2003a) Costing cultural security, SPHERe Discussion Paper, Perth, Western Australia: Curtin University, Division of Health Sciences, viewed online 10 September 2011. http://www.eniar.org/news/health7.html Mooney, G. (2003b). The 'Standard'. Inequity in Australian health care: how do we progress from here?
“Health is the state of complete physical, mental, social and intellectual well-beings not merely an absence of disease”(WHO,1998).Good health is essential in life as people’s career will be affected if they fall ill.. In the developed countries like Australia, People who are not involved in the healthy lifestyle are suffering from a range of health disorders like overweight, high blood pressure, obese, heart diseases, obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney problems, liver disorders and so many. To overcome these health issues Australian government introduced health care system. This essay will firstly, discuss the Australian health care system and secondly, compare Australia with other countries around the world in relation to different consideration on health.
The Australian Health Care System is regarded world class for its effectiveness and efficiency. It consists of the mix system of health providers in both the private and public sector. The funding mechanism is highly advantageous to its entire citizen, which consists of the 30% Rebate, Pharmaceutical Benefit and Medicare. In particular, Medicare has been ensuring all Australian nationals with access to free and low cost medical, optometric, hospital care with special option to private health services in special circumstances.
What are the major weaknesses in our current health care system and what needs to be done to ensure a more effective equal health care system for both city and remote areas of Australia?
Australia has an ageing population, an ageing population by its very nature dictates a bigger burden than there already is on the health care system. It also means more money will be spent on health care as the progression increases. The privatisation of Medibank will create more competition in the health insurance market; the health insurance business is valued at $4 billion dollars, which would in turn help Australia’s economic position. Privatisation would allow for create a free market and allow for regulation to focus on competition of the market.
State and local public health departments throughout the country have the responsibility for improving health in workplaces, schools, and communities through identifying top health problems within society and developing a plan to improve. Barriers the public health system has encountered over the years include: changes in the overall health system that support cost containment and improved health, and an increase in the number of individuals with insurance coverage for direct preventive services; reduction of qualified public health professional and funding at all levels of government; increasing focus on accountability, with higher expectations for demonstrating a return on investment in terms of cost and health improvement (Trust, 2013). In the near future, health departments ...
Despite the established health care facilities in the United States, most citizens do not have access to proper medical care. We must appreciate from the very onset that a healthy and strong nation must have a proper health care system. Such a health system should be available and affordable to all. The cost of health services is high. In fact, the ...
Willis, E, Reynolds, L & Keleher, H 2012, Understanding the australian health care system, Mosby Elesvier, Chatswood, NSW.
Phillips, A. (2009). Health status differentials across rural and remote Australia. Australian Journal of Rural Health, 17(1), 2-9.
With increasing concerns of debts and deficits, Canada’s publicly funded health care system has recently become the target of fiscal attack. Efforts to reform and restructure the system have produced few results. Currently, some governments throughout the country are looking towards a more radical approach. An approach that would see not only the reform and restructuring of the method of operation of the current system, but that would change the system entirely. The proposed idea? In Alberta, it is to increase the role of the private sector in the current system.
Proper health is not a luxury but an essential service which ensures people are able to work efficiently. It is the duty of the government to make sure that its citizens can access the necessary healthcare services regardless of their financial status or location. Therefore, the government has put in place healthcare policies which ensure that every citizen is able to access the facilities efficiently (Boltyenkov, 2015). The policies in the healthcare system keep changing now and then depending on the economy of the country. The economy greatly influences the distribution and quality of healthcare services. When a country has a good economy, most of its citizens are likely to afford most services at an affordable rate (Boltyenkov, 2015). However,
The National health services (NHS) provides a comprehensive healthcare services across the entire nation. It is considered to be UK’s proudest institution, and is envied by many other countries because of its free of cost health delivery to its population. Nevertheless, it is often seen as a ‘political football’ as it affects all of us in some way and hence everyone carry an opinion about it (Cass, 2006). Factors such as government policies, funding, number of service users, taxation etc all make up small parts of this large complex organisation. Therefore, any imbalances within one sector can pose a substantial risk on the overall NHS (Wheeler & Grice, 2000). This essay will discuss whether the NHS aim of reducing the nations need for provision of health was achieved or not, taking into account different health models.
Globalization refers to the process of integration across the world, arising from the interchange of worldviews, products, ideas, and other aspects of culture. Globalization affects all facets of life, including health and well-being. Traditionally, the health sector has been closed and nationally focused, but that’s beginning to change. Healthcare has become a social policy and a worldwide concern that is subject to globalization. By 2009, there were fifty-eight countries with some form of Universal Healthcare. The question is: Can the U.S learn anything from the rest of the world about how to run a health care system?
UK health care system, in turn, attracted to its topicality. National Health Service (NHS) occurred in several business ideas in the name of the article. UK health care system seemed also to be justified. It focused on patients' rights, as well as equality. The National Health Service (NHS) in England had undergoing changes on April 2013 (NHS 2009). Changes in the health care system in the English interest me but in this work I did not go into them.
- Organisation and Management of Health Care, April 2002, Version 2.0 , Main Contributor: Katie Enock, Public Health Specialist, Harrow Primary Care Trust www.healthknowledge.org.uk