6.5 Help, I need a doctor

DOCTOR: Theo, I want you to breathe in and out for me. Great, thank you. Now, open your mouth wide, I would like to see your throat. Right, I'm just going to take your temperature. Everything seems normal. Now lie down, please. If I push your stomach here, does it hurt?

THEO: Ow It really hurts, do you think it is my stomach or my heart?

DOCTOR: Your heart? But you are only fifteen! There's nothing wrong with your heart. Why would it be?

THEO: My mum always lectures me about the things I eat because I love fast food. I also eat too quickly.... so she says that I'll have a heart attack, before I'm eighteen.

DOCTOR: Your mum is just trying to warn you to eat more slowly, eat less fast food and more fruit and vegetables. I think you've got indigestion so I'm going to give you a prescription. You will take one tablet after each meal. And don't forget to drink more water. I will see you again next month, OK?

THEO: Do I need to do a blood test?

DOCTOR: There's no need for that.

THEO: Great, I am not a huge fan of blood. Thank you, see you!

When we talk about health and education, we must be aware that these are social areas that need governmental support and funding. This is especially the case in developing countries, where most citizens do not have the means to afford prohibitively expensive medical care. That is why many developing countries have government-provided healthcare that is subsidized and is social-welfare oriented. Of course, the developed West also has state-provided healthcare, which is the norm in the UK and in Europe.

We need to mention the healthcare system in Cuba, which is a model for all developing countries in the manner in which the state provides world-class medical services to its citizens. In contrast, the healthcare systems in India and South Asia have, despite governmental support, seen erosion in public perception, which is why many people turn to private medical services that are efficient but also expensive. The United States had a major change in its health system in 2010 with the passage of the “Affordable Care Act”, also known as Obamacare. Despite severe opposition from the Republican Party and many private healthcare providers, President Obama managed to get the healthcare bill passed, which is seen as the first step towards actualizing the kind of social, welfare-oriented healthcare system similar to those in the Scandinavian countries.

As I have already mentioned, healthcare is a sector where the government has a leading role since it concerns public welfare and social justice aspects. This is the reason why almost all countries in the world take it upon themselves to mandate governmental support for healthcare. Despite this, the healthcare systems in many countries across the world are in a mess due to a variety of reasons.

These include overburdening of the healthcare systems as found in the NHS, the National Health Service, in the United Kingdom, where the sheer numbers of patients and the scarcity of medical personnel has made the NHS go from being one of the most efficient healthcare systems in the world to one of the worst. The United States is another example (before the healthcare reform bill was passed) where the poor and the needy were at the mercy of corporate healthcare providers, for whom the ability to pay matters more than the social welfare aspects. This is the reason why many social scientists and healthcare experts often comment on the fact that healthcare must not be privatized but the government must take over the healthcare system instead.

In India, the healthcare system, like many other social welfare sectors, started off as a good example of how government can play an enabling role in providing social services that promote social welfare and social justice. However, thanks to successive governments neglecting the sector and the steady privatization of many social sectors, the healthcare system in India is now largely in private hands, and the poor and the needy are left to fend for themselves. To redress this imbalance, many state governments are providing the less privileged with access to subsidized healthcare, which is a positive trend that must be encouraged and nurtured.

Given the fact that staying healthy means a more productive workforce, it is in the interest of the corporate sector to ensure that healthcare is made available to the workforce as a whole. This is the reason why many public and private companies often pay for the treatment of their employees and their immediate family members. Finally, healthcare is too critical to be left to the private sector. As such, the contention or the key argument here is that the government must play a proactive and enabling role in promoting social welfare and social justice.