Why can't the Philippines have free health care for all, regardless of ability to pay, as is the case with the vast majority of civilised first world countries?
-by Rhodegette Joyce A.Idul
FREE HEALTH CARE has been available to all in Russia since 1937, the United Kingdom since 1948 (they are celebrating 70 years this year of free health care for all) and many other countries such as Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Denmark, Belgium, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. In fact almost entirely all of the first world with the only notable exception being the USA.
"Because The Philippines belongs to the list of third world countries", I am sure this is one of your answers, but why not just think, "EVERYONE DESERVES EQUAL HEALTH CARE". Let us rate the developed countries in order of how they treat their weakest citizens. People basically need food, shelter, water, clothes for climatic conditions and health- Why do not governments make these basic requirements a priority before anything else is considered?
Have you ever experienced being sick, but you end up with a quack doctor because you cannot afford the real doctor? Have you hated yourself for having no money and ended up with your love one dying because free health care is not available? Have you even tried pulling out your own teeth because you cannot afford a real dentist? Have you seen people who are left to die in a hospital just because they are poor and thus cannot afford to pay for anymore treatment? Have you tried working everyday so hard and then one day you are ill and suddenly all of the money you saved up has vanished on hospital bills?
Surely, we deserve free health care for all paid via a taxation system. If countries all around the globe can manage this, regardless of the strength of their economies, then we in The Philippines should also be allowed to have the very best free health care.
Did you know that 25% of all nurses and auxiliary workers in the United Kingdom are from The Philippines? As these Filipinos live and work in the UK, they naturally receive all the benefits attributed to free health care. Have a motorbike accident that costs $500,000 to repair, no worries, the UK government pays for it all. However, when our Filipino friends return to our shores for Christmas, they dare not have a motor bike accident in Manila or Cebu or Davao, because our Filipino doctors will of course ask the big question....Can you afford to pay? Are you covered by a private health insurance scheme? If not then you know what will happen. That Filipino will be left to die, unless of course he or she can catch a plane back to England, where free health care awaits for all without discrimination of ability to pay.
I am a Filipina and I have experienced serious pneumonia, if my parents could not afford the health care, I would probably not be alive today. Another example that i have experienced, is when my grandma had serious back pain that cost around $500 per night in the hospital, unfortunately she died because we choose the cheaper treatment, and after 3 months my family could not afford it anymore. Also, when my friend's niece needed to be in the ICU because of serious asthma, (and I was there) the treatment was of a lesser quality because she was poor.
Is it not time that we Filipinos had the fear factor taken out of being ill? If the citizens of the UK, Australia, Denmark, Russia, Singapore, Canada, Taiwan and a host of other countries have free health care for all then I am convinced that we can manage it or at the very least fight for it here in The Philippines. After all, do not we deserve what the finest countries receive? Are we always going to accept second class standards? As Gandhi famously said "A nation's greatness is measured on how it treats its weakest people".
Here are some questions and answers to potentially open up your mind about the benefits of Universal Health Care...
What is Universal Health Care?
-Universal health care is a system that provides quality medical services to all citizens. The federal government offers it to everyone regardless of their ability to pay .
- Universal health care is a health care system that provides healthcare and financial protection to more than 90% of the citizens of a particular country.
Who started UHC?
-U.S. efforts to achieve universal coverage began with progressive health care reformers who supported Theodore Roosevelt for President in 1912, though he was defeated. Progressives campaigned unsuccessfully for sickness insurance guaranteed by the states.
Who is the founder of UHC?
-Alan B. Miller, who currently serves as the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, founded Universal Health Services, Inc. in 1979 after he engineered a financial turnaround of American Medicorp, only to lose the control of the company in a hostile takeover by Humana.
When was UHC introduced?
-In Australia, the state of Queensland introduced a free public hospital system in the 1940's. Following World War II, universal health care systems began to be set up around the world. On July 5, 1948, the United Kingdom launched its universal National Health Service. That was 70 years ago!
Who funded the UHC?
-Most universal health care is funded by general income taxes or payroll taxes.
What are the advantages of UHC?
-The government controls the price of medication and medical services through negotiation and regulation.
-It eliminates the administrative costs of dealing with different private health insurers.
-It forces hospitals and doctors to provide the same standard of service at a low cost.
-Universal health care creates a healthier workforce.
-Health education teaches families how to make healthy lifestyle choices, preventing chronic diseases.
-Governments can impose regulations and taxes to guide the population toward healthier choices.
What are the disadvantages of UHC?
-Universal health care forces healthy people to pay for others' medical care.
-With free universal health care, people may not be as careful with their health.
-Most universal health systems report long wait times for effective procedures.
-Governments limit payment amounts to keep costs low.
-Health care costs may perhaps overwhelm government budgets.
What are the remaining countries that do not have UHC?
-Afghanistan, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Benin, Burundi, Cape Verde, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Dominica, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Jordan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Niger,Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Suriname, Syrian Arab Republic, São Tomé and Príncipe, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United States, Viet Nam, Yemen, Zimbabwe (a total of 77 country out of 195 which means 188 countries are already applied Universal Health Care).
What is the service delivery model of the Philippines?
-Public services are mostly used by the poor and the near-poor, including communities in isolated and deprived areas.
-Private services are used by approximately 30 % of the population that can afford fee-for-service payments.
-The service package that is supported by the government is outlined by PhilHealth. Coverage is reported by PhilHealth to be 74 million or 82% of the population by the end of December 2011. However, the services covered are not comprehensive, installments are high and reimbursement procedures are difficult.
According to the World Health Organisation Philippine Profile that there are approximately 1800 hospitals in the Philippines, of which 721 (40%) are public hospitals and 70 are DOH hospitals. In 2010, there were a total of 98,155 hospital beds; 50 percent or 49,372 were in government hospitals. Of the 17 regions, only 4 have sufficient numbers of beds per 1000 population.
The Philippines is making some progress in reducing the poverty gap, lowering infant mortality, and reducing prevalence of malaria and tuberculosis. Slow progress is seen in reducing maternal mortality and halting HIV transmission. Hospital data and coverage rates for various preventive programs are also collected. Average utilization rate of PhilHealth programmes (service package benefits) remains low at 3.9% of the total population. Utilization rate for health facilities in 2000 was 77%.
True, there are cons of Universal health care like it forces wealthy people to pay for others' medical care and with free universal health care, people may not be as careful with their health. But if there is one right thing to do to save just one life, why not push forward and have free health care for all, regardless of ability to pay? Is that not a human right for each and every one of us?
References
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World Health Organization. (2000). The world health report 2000: health systems: improving performance. World Health Organization.
Weir, M., Orloff, A. S., & Skocpol, T. (Eds.). (1988). The politics of social policy in the United States. Princeton University Press.
Kliegman, R. M., Behrman, R. E., Jenson, H. B., & Stanton, B. M. (2007). Nelson textbook of pediatrics e-book. Elsevier Health Sciences.
Porter, D. (Ed.). (1994). The history of public health and the modern state (Vol. 26). Rodopi.
Lagomarsino, G., Garabrant, A., Adyas, A., Muga, R., & Otoo, N. (2012). Moving towards universal health coverage: health insurance reforms in nine developing countries in Africa and Asia. The Lancet, 380(9845), 933-943.
Card, D., Dobkin, C., & Maestas, N. (2008). The impact of nearly universal insurance coverage on health care utilization: evidence from Medicare. American Economic Review, 98(5), 2242-58.
Card, D., Dobkin, C., & Maestas, N. (2008). The impact of nearly universal insurance coverage on health care utilization: evidence from Medicare. American Economic Review, 98(5), 2242-58.
Marmot, M., Friel, S., Bell, R., Houweling, T. A., Taylor, S., & Commission on Social Determinants of Health. (2008). Closing the gap in a generation: health equity through action on the social determinants of health. The lancet, 372(9650), 1661-1669.
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