WHO’s View on Healthcare
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), primary health should focus on providing better care services for all. In this regard, the WHO has human rights-based goals that they employ as an approach towards achieving primary health care. The WHO Constitution foresees a situation where ‘'the highest attainable standard of health as a fundamental right of every human being’’ (“Human Rights and Health’’ World Health Organization ). In this regard, it is critical to note that through the lenses of the WHO, health is not a privilege, but a right that should be accorded to every living person. In practicing these rights, the WHO advocates for a reduction in exclusion and other social disparities in healthcare through its universal coverage reforms. It also aims at organizing health care services around the needs and expectations of the people through its service delivery reforms. In enhancing healthcare as a right, the WHO has public policy reforms which aim at integrating health into all the sectors. Furthermore, it pursues collaborative methods of policy dialogue and also increases the participation of various stakeholders.
It is therefore apparent that the Who envisions health care as a right that every state must accord to its citizens. Therefore, this creates a legal obligation on the countries to ensure that they provide affordable, acceptable, and timely healthcare that is appropriate to their needs. In exercising health as a right, the WHO also requires nations to provide better underlying determinants of health including clean and safe water, proper housing, gender equality, and also information and education related to healthcare. States must also provide ‘'maximum available resources'' (“Human Rights and Health’’ World Health Organization WHO) as a way of progressively moving towards the goal of achieving healthcare as a right. Also, the rights to healthcare must also be enjoyed by everybody regardless of their age, race, ethnicity, or any other social factor. Many countries, in appreciating that healthcare is a right, have begun the process of adopting the WHO provisions in the domestic laws including the constitution.
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US Healthcare System v. WHO’s UHC
One of the main aims of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) is to ensure that every person obtains a healthcare service they require without any financial hardship. Several factors must be put in place to ensure that UHC becomes a reality. First, it must have a robust and efficient healthcare system that meets health needs through people-centered care. It must also offer affordable care and also one which increases the access to medicine and technology vital for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. It must also have motivated and well-trained health workers who will be tasked with the duty of providing healthcare services that are premised on the best available evidence. The United States' healthcare is regarded as one of the unique systems among the developed countries. It does not possess a uniform healthcare system and also does not have universal healthcare coverage. It has recently enacted a law that would ensure a healthcare coverage that aims at covering everyone.
However, despite the fact that its healthcare system can be described as a hybrid, there are ways in which it compares and contrasts with the provisions of the UHC as stipulated by the WHO. As previously stated, one of the provision of the WHO under the UHC is ‘’access to essential medicines and technologies to diagnose and treat medical problems.’’ With regards to the US healthcare system, this is an area where it performs excellently. Through its innovation, the US provides one of the best medical treatments in the world. Innovation, coupled with scientific research has partly played a role in enhancing this (Zimlichman et al . 2013). People move to the US to acquire some of the best medical services. Another important criteria provided for by the WHO is under the UHC is affordability where people do not face financial hardships in their pursuit of better healthcare services. Shi and Singh (2014) asserted that America had made attempts to cover some of the most vulnerable people who would have otherwise not afforded the services. Through Medicare and Medicaid, which are insurance services run by the federal government, senior citizens, the disabled, and low-income persons can all be covered. The Affordable Care Act also known as the Obamacare ensures that children under young adults are covered under the parents’ insurance plan.
One of the main problems of the US health system is affordability. It is vital to note that Shi and Singh (2014) illustrates that almost 50.4 million people in the country remain underinsured or uninsured. According to a research conducted by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the number of adults above 65 years of age uninsured amounted to 28.2 million. It therefore means that affordability is still an issue that requires to be resorted in the country. Another major headache facing the American healthcare system is that despite the fact that they spend more than many countries in the world, the American citizens are generally to healthier than most of the countries that spend lesser. The WHO under the UHC states a healthcare system should ‘’have the capacity to treat diseases and helping patients with rehabilitation.’’ Despite spending a huge chunk of the GDP on health, the corresponding result does not reflect what should be expected in terms of treatment and rehabilitation (Zimlichman et al. 2013). Other minor factors that are yet to be fully resolved in the American system include disparity and access to healthcare.
Changing the US Healthcare System
The WHO provides for two important tenets that can be used to resolve some of the glaring problems of the American healthcare system. First, it is the human rights approach, and secondly, it is through the universal health coverage. Some of the major problems that continue to face the US healthcare system include disparities, access, quality, and cost. A rights-based approach can be used to mitigate the likelihood of disparity in a health system. The WHO asserts that a healthcare system must ensure that they have programs that ‘'prioritize the needs of those furthest behind first towards greater equity.'' Attainment of greater equity marks the end of disparity in the American healthcare system. The disparity can also be regulated by the WHO human rights approach that states that healthcare should be enjoyed ‘'without discrimination on the grounds of race, age, ethnicity or any other status.''
Access to healthcare will only be achieved when the government conforms to the universal health coverage provision of affordability. As such, financial hardship will not play as a hurdle in denying the over 50 million uninsured people in the country. Another provision of universal health coverage that can improve accessibility in the American health system is by enhancing a ‘’strong, efficient, well-run health system that meets priority health needs’’ (’’Universal Healthcare Coverage’’ World Health Organization), Cost will also be reduced by both the rights based-approach and the universal health coverage. The WHO asserts that countries have a legal obligation to ensure ‘'access to timely, acceptable, and affordable health care.'' Therefore, the US can focus on providing more affordable healthcare through better insurance plans that are all-inclusive and also cognizant of the vulnerabilities that people have in the society. For America to enhance quality, they must adhere to the critical aspects provided for under the universal health coverage. The healthcare system must be efficient, strong, well-run, and above all people-centered. In doing this, it must keep people informed and also encourage them to stay healthy and prevent illness. Furthermore, it must ensure a continued supply of well-trained and motivated health workers who will provide treatment according to the needs of the patient.
My Position on WHO
I agree with the WHO position that healthcare should be regarded as a right and that nations should have a legal obligation to provide affordable and efficient health to its people. All levels of government from federal, state, to the local levels, have an ethical responsibility to ensure that plans are put in place to protect not only the health but also the safety of the citizens. The public expects that the leaders elected at all levels to exercise their leadership by creating a framework and a platform that will ensure that their welfare including health care needs is catered for in the best way. Also, this can be viewed in terms of an economic rationale where the citizens are the ones who work to ensure that the GDP is where it is. The citizens fund most of the government revenue and thus it would only be fair for the government to improve the healthcare system and make it affordable and accessible as a way of appreciating the work of the citizens. As such, it is critical for everyone to note that proper healthcare is a right and should not be in any way regarded as a privilege. During the declaration of independence, three inalienable rights including liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness were named. For ‘'life'' to exist, proper healthcare is a must, and thus this gives the impetus that healthcare at all times should be regarded and provided as a right.
References
“ Human Rights and Health’’ World Health Organization (WHO), 2017 http://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/human-rights-and-health
“ Universal Healthcare Coverage’’ World Health Organization (WHO), 2017 http://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/universal-health-coverage-(uhc)
Shi, L., & Singh, D. A. (2014). Delivering health care in America . Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Zimlichman, E., Henderson, D., Tamir, O., Franz, C., Song, P., Yamin, C. K. ... & Bates, D. W. (2013). Healthcare-associated infections: a meta-analysis of costs and financial impact on the US healthcare system. JAMA internal medicine , 173 (22), 2039-2046.
