Health Care and Conditions in Peru
Located on the western side of South America, Peru is a relatively small country with a very strong culture. Many of the people in Peru are descendants of the people who resided on the land thousands of years ago (Lyle). Because of this, much of the culture and their way of life has stayed the same. However, quite a bit has changed in the country of Peru in recent years as well, and for the better. Medical care is an aspect of the country that has never been quite strong enough. There are several different factors that contribute to this issue, including poor water, not enough medical workers, and citizens that can’t afford to be cared for when they are sick or injured (“Peru”). Medical care has been a struggle in Peru for quite some time, but things are slowly starting to turn around for the country thanks to governmental programs and projects that have been started to help with the medical care of Peru’s citizens. Although there are several programs out there to help the citizens, the country’s health care isn’t quite efficient enough and does not adequately serve the population.
According to NCBI, one of the largest concerns for the Peruvian people is public and environmental health. The country has a population of about 30 million people and nearly one third of them fall below the poverty line and lack access to even the most basic health care services. That means that about 10 million people in Peru aren’t able to receive medical care when they are sick or hurt, which is a huge chunk of the country’s people. Although the Peruvian government does offer some programs and benefits for the citizens, many of the citizens don’t receive the benefits because they are simply unaware that t...
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...he required modification that could make the country’s health care services more efficient.
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Medicine and other health services are expensive without these important conveniences that many people lack. These people have been “falling through the cracks” in U.S.
All four countries are undergoing an epidemiologic transition as treatment and control of infectious diseases continues to improve. However, the major issues that affect each country and how the country has responded to their problems are vastly different. It is funny, but in the midst of writing this reflection, I somehow found myself in a conversation with someone who was horrified by the quality of healthcare in “third world” countries. This assumption that poor countries have horrendous quality of healthcare is not uncommon. Fortunately, these assumptions are wrong. Though developing countries are facing the unique problem of operating a healthcare system in an environment with inadequate resources and public health infrastructures, they have managed to develop incredible solutions. In Latin America and the Caribbean, a combination international and national interventions has been so successful that these countries have the highest percentage of ART coverage in any low-to-middle-income countries (Garcia et al., 2014). Cuba’s WHO health ranking is 39, approximately the same as the U.S. and achieved at a fraction of the price. As countries shift into the third epidemiologic transition, many of the basic systems for obtaining medications and seeing health care professionals are already in place. These four have taken the first important step and declared that healthcare is a right for all, something that even the U.S. has failed to do. Though they must continue building upon their current infrastructure, they have the advantage of hindsight and seeing what has worked in other countries. As we have seen during our study of the U.S. and other OECD countries, there is no one perfect health system. However, I am confident that the health systems that emerge from these developing countries will be one that works for the
.... Flawed but fair: Brazil’s health system reaches out to the poor. 86, (4), 241-320.
Throughout the world, in countries rich and poor, people have no access to basic physical and mental healthcare nor to immunizations from infectious disease. Some people have no access because they lack the resources to buy and the state does not provide it. Others may be able to afford healthcare but because there are no services available in their communities they must do without it.
Deficient community health is related to lack of access to public health providers and limited resources (Ackley & Ladwig, 2014). According to the Center for Disease Control ‘the absence of health insurance coverage and distrust of Western medicine may contribute to low testing rates for Hepatitis B amount the Pacific Islanders. These same factors influence testing rates for other disparities too. Studies have shown health insurance coverage has increased compliance to medical treatment plans by making services, devices and medications more affordable (NHPI Affairs,
Having been born and raised in a third world country, I can say with certainty that I have experienced the ravaging effect of poverty and lack of health care providers. I still
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As Paul Farmer pursues to bring health care to impoverished nations, he builds the health care systems, is able to provide services for ones living in poverty, and speaks about the improved health care system in Cuba. While watching Paul Farmer’s interview, he made it clear that giving impoverished nations health care will benefit them all. He says, “Is
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This essay will examine the article “Wealth begets health: Why universal medical care only goes so far” written by Andre Picard for The Globe and Mail in 2013. The article discusses various aspects of how an individual’s income can often be a crucial determinant of their health. It also discusses that even with equal access to healthcare, individual’s with lower incomes are more likely to experience health problems and are more likely to die at a younger age than those with higher incomes (Raphael, 2010). The main argument that Picard discusses in the article is that even with universal medical care there are still wide gaps between the health of low-income and high-income people. This is an important issue because many of
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