Health
Health
Fair Observer's analysis of issues in medicine, public health, disease prevention and disease control, drugs, nutrition, and fitness.
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360° Analysis / United States / BRIC / Asia / HealthThe way that the United States and China currently spend their healthcare dollars differs sharply. In China, about half of healthcare spending is on pharmaceuticals, while in the United States only 10% is. Both nations are in the process of undergoing healthcare reform. While America is implementing the Affordable Care Act, aimed at decreasing healthcare utilization, China is implementing its 12th Five-Year Plan, which contains a number of healthcare provisions aimed at increasing healthcare utilization. Given the policies currently being pursued by both nations, it is likely that their pharmaceutical spending patterns will head towards convergence, with Americans spending a relatively...
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United States / 360° Context / BRIC / Asia / HealthBy Jeffrey ChenBoth China and the United States are undertaking reforms of their healthcare systems. Background The United States spends significantly more on healthcare than other developed nations - both on a per-capita basis and as a percentage of GDP. Yet, it lags behind other countries in such indicators as infant mortality and life expectancy. Although it is the only wealthy industrialized nation in the world that lacks some form of universal health care, in terms of quality of service for individuals the American healthcare system remains second to none. Coverage and access are significant issues – according to the U.S. Census Bureau, some 16% of Americans are uninsured, and studies suggest...
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360° Analysis / BRIC / HealthIn order to provide a better health care system in the country, the Indian government initiated the National Rural Health Mission. Among some of the important initiatives that the central government of India took under United Progressive Alliance (UPA-1) was the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). It has improved access to health care in specific states and the country as a whole. From 2005 to 2010, the infant mortality rates have dropped from 58 to 47 fatalities per 100,000 live births for the country as a whole. Maternal mortality rates and total fertility rates have decreased. Village infrastructure has improved along with an increase in health care workforce with the...
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360° Analysis / Asia / HealthBy Arthur Kleinman and Hongtu Chen Editor’s note: Populations across Asia are rapidly ageing. But few countries are prepared for the coming demand for elderly care, say Fung Global Institute Senior Fellow Arthur Kleinman and his Harvard University colleague Hongtu Chen. So far, many Asian societies have relied on families to care for their ageing relatives, but they will soon need to develop new approaches that involve more professional caregivers and community-wide solutions. Besides the financial crisis, climate change, energy shortage and conflicts over water, population ageing is probably the most significant global trend that will occur in this century across national and...
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By Amy HenslinBackground Ever since the Industrial Revolution, steady advances in medical technology, changing patterns in education and gender roles, and a wide range of other factors have caused populations around the world to reach old-age in growing numbers. For some time the problem of ageing populations seemed to be an affliction particular to developed nations, but United Nations (UN) data suggest that it is now a “global phenomena”, affecting developed and developing countries alike. Although in terms of technology and infrastructure, developing nations may be several decades behind developed nations, the problem still remains; populations are changing, causing nations with well...
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By Martina BockA trauma therapist describes the necessity of healing the war-affected youth of Bosnia-Herzegovina. This year is the 20th anniversary of the beginning of the Bosnia-Herzegovina War (1992-1995). Although this seems to have been a long time ago and though most of the visible traces of the war have now been removed, the land and its people are still very shaped by the war. The country’s two main political entities: the Federation and the Republika Srpska often block each other in political decisions. The provisions of the Dayton Agreement, which in 1995 were useful to end the bloody war, now emerge as hindrances. A system of uncountable administrative units costs a lot of money, and...
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360° Analysis / United States / BRIC / HealthHealthcare is specific to each country and is shaped by the political, social and economic conditions of the moment. China and the United States are both in the process of undergoing healthcare reform. In 2009, China announced its healthcare reform, which it elaborated upon through the 12th Five-Year Plan released by the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party in 2011. After considerable debate, the US launched its own series of reforms, with the HITECH Act, which was a component of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which was a standalone entity that was enacted in 2010. While both reforms were created in part to...
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360° Analysis / Europe / Middle East / HealthBy Ulrich HemelFive crucial Issues from the standpoint of global civil society. Everybody agrees on the need for health education but there is not yet a common understanding of what that means and how far reaching health education should be. From the standpoint of civil society in a global perspective, the first agent of health is every person in his or her first person, independent of State control. This is less obvious than it seems, and the reason is simple: Health damaging activities have a high probability of creating costs for a somewhat generalised health system. As a consequence, legislation tries to gain control over such forms of behaviour. Look at the ban on smoking in public buildings not only...
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Commentary on the supply and demand of medicine, its overuse, and the need to regulate and optimize the accessibility of medicinal drugs in the US and beyond. This is the last in a series of four articles on the topic. Please click here for part 1, part 2 and part 3. PART Four As responsible citizens and consumers, we must act now in ways that help reduce financial, social and environmental burdens associated with excess prescribing, abuse, misuse, and overuse of medicines. Patients and consumers should gradually change their behavior and attitude about excess medicines and closely follow recommended use of and instructions for medicines. Information, awareness, and education,...