Ideal Healthcare System Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Ideal Healthcare System - Research Paper Example There is intense poverty in this country. There have been epidemics of HIV/AIDS, malaria and famine. The life expectancy is under 45 years for men and 47 years for women. The country has large mineral mines operated by large multinational companies. At present the United Nations operates several programs that aim to place the country on a proper agricultural footing so that it may begin to relieve an ongoing history of famine. Overview of African Health Care A review of the 2009 article abstracts from the WHO Infodigest of Health Systems and Health Services provides a small glance of some of the problems the African countries face, in comparison to healthcare systems of developing countries (WHO, 2009). The articles detail such topics as the serious brain drain of healthcare professionals leaving Africa, the costs of medicines, government transparency, water supply, disposal of waste material, and the (successful) formation of community advisory boards. In general, the production of health for a country's citizens has been shown to depend on the country's income, education, and lifestyle factors (p.. 90). But it does not continue to improve as these factors increase. As a country's Gross National Income (GNI) increase, there is a point in which its GNI becomes less and less effective in improving health (90). This explains why the United States may have high medical expenditure levels per capital but not much better outcome (87). Kabila reflects the other African countries, it does not have a high GPD and most of its population live outside urban areas. What would the ideal health system be for a country such as Kabila, which like Malawi, showed the percent of GDP that spent on health rose from 6.1 in 2000 to 9.9 in 2007 (WHO, 2010b)? Total government spending on health was 59.7% in 2007 compared to private expenditure which was 40.3. But outside resources on health spending represented 59.9% of the total. Kabila's life expectancy rate was (M/F) 46/48 in 2000 a nd rose to 52/54 in 2007. In developing countries the life expectancy rates are generally in the 40s and 50s, whereas in the developing countries they are in mid-60s reaching through the 70s (WHO, 2010b). Compounding the problem was that Kabila had a child mortality rate of 96 deaths of children per 1000 live births dying under 5 years of age. Cultural Competence Culture should be defined broadly. In the case of Kabila it should include members of all the various ethnic tribes, members of all religions, and it should reach all economic classes from the poor to the high income. There should be no stigma placed or recognized on the status of women or diseased populations. By appreciating the wide expanse of culture in Kabila, access to care for all can be accepted as a necessary vehicle of the general medical delivery plan. Culture beliefs should be understood and appreciated and made part of the medical services. If there are certain habits which women have in regard to childbirth or personal physical being, they should be understood and absorbed by the medical services. Kabila citizens have their own health beliefs and ideas. They have ways of viewing the family structure and the status of women. These cultural beliefs should be understood and then merged into the medical service. The life expectancy of Kabila is quite low in comparison to other countries. Strategic policy principles would have to developed regarding