Health care resources encompass the facilities, funds, personnel, and materials that are used in the provision of healthcare services. The need for healthcare resources is intensified by the fact that healthcare has over time faced unlimited demand making healthcare a limited resource since every member of the population needs healthcare once in a while. This essay will make a comparison of the healthcare resources that are available to Egypt, Germany, and the USA.
Table showing different factor comparisons
| USA | Germany | Egypt | |
| Population below the poverty line | 15.1% | 16.7% | 27.8% |
| Gross Domestic Product per capita | $59,800 | $50,800 | $12,700 |
| Total % expenditure on health | 17.1% | 11.3% | 5.6% |
| Availability of funding assistance from other countries | $17.91 trillion | $5.326 trillion | $77.47 billion |
| Health care workforce and capacity to provide care | 2.59 physicians per 1000 people | 4.21 physicians per 1000 people | 0.79 physicians per 1000 people |
| Spotlight on diseases/ conditions | 36.2% obesity rates with 0.5% underweight children under 5 years | 0.2% HIV prevalence rate and 22.3% obesity rates | Less than 0.1% HIV prevalence, 32% obesity rates and 7% underweight children under 5 years |
| Population with sustainable access to an improved water source | 99.2% | 100% | 99.4% |
| Population with access to improved sanitation | 100% | 99.2% | 94.7% |
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(source: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ )
The availability of healthcare resources determines the accessibility, cost, and sustainability of the healthcare services sector. In the developed table, it can be concluded that Germany among the three countries provided leads in the accessibility to healthcare services. First, the ration of physicians to members of the population is considerably high at 4.21 against 2.59 and 0.79 physicians for every one thousand people for the USA and Egypt respectively ( The World Factbook., n.d.) . Subsequently, it is possible for physicians in Germany to provide essential services to meet the needs of the patients that include drug therapy, immunization programs, and also providing an opportunity for the development of alternative care models as well as an evidence-based practice. In Egypt, healthcare accessibility can be viewed as a challenge within the health services provision sector, given that the rate of physicians for every one thousand people is considerably low. As such, it may be challenging for members of this population to access primary care services as well as emergency services.
Additionally, accessibility of care services can be looked at in the lens of the spotlight on other health conditions. The fact that Germany is exhibiting the least percentage of the population who are obese, indicating that care providers in the country can adequately provide patient education, especially regarding nutrition and the importance of physical exercise. Moreover, the HIV prevalence rate is also an indicator of access to care services.
In terms of cost of healthcare, USA is exhibiting the highest costs of care services provision because the country is spending over 17% of its GDP on healthcare services ( The World Factbook., n.d.) . The expenditure can be attributed to the various government programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, and other insurance programs that cater to the members of the population who are living below the poverty line. Further, the cost of healthcare in the US is increasing due to the rise in the expenditure on prescription drugs and the high prices for private insurance. On the other hand, Egypt ranks lowest among the three countries on the GDP expenditure towards healthcare, given that the economy is only committing 5.6% of its GDP. Subsequently, the cost of accessing care for the population is significantly high since the government is subsidizing the sector minimally in comparison to the other two countries; thus, the burden rests with the population.
The sustainability of care services provision between the three countries shows that USA and Egypt can be viewed as having relatively unsustainable. First, studies have shown that the high healthcare expenditure in the US is geared only for the five percent of the population ( Desai, 2017) . Subsequently, the rising costs of health have contributed to the less affordability of the private insurances making households, insurance providers, and employers bear the burden of care provision thus hindering the ability of the population to receive care services. Furthermore, the relatively low ratios for physicians and the community increase the potential for reduced sustainability of the healthcare sector. The reduced expenditure by the government in the healthcare sector in Egypt can be viewed as contributing to declining sustainability of the healthcare sector.
In comparison to Egypt and USA, Germany can be argued to be having a significantly sustainable healthcare sector. One of the reasons to support this argument is the fact that the German government provides state health insurance that is offered to residents working and living in the country ( Döring & Paul, 2012) . In comparison to the GDP expenditure on health, it can be concluded that the system is efficient and effective, thus boosting its sustainability. Furthermore, the country has been able to have a high ratio of physicians for every one thousand people who have adequately promoted access to care services, evidenced by low rates of obese and HIV prevalence rates.
References
Desai, C. S., (2017). Chirag Desai. The American Health Care System , 73-75. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-67594-7_12
Döring, A., & Paul, F. (2012). The German Healthcare System. Advances in Predictive, Preventive, and Personalised Medicine , 45-67. doi:10.1007/978-94-007-4602-2_4
The World Factbook. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
