Alba English

Materials for Class

Example - Country Case Study

Thanks to TB in 2016 for Original

Healthcare in the Philippines

Access to affordable healthcare is something that most people living in Japan take for granted. However not everyone around the world can say the same, and many people with curable and preventable diseases are not treated. This essay will first look at why access to healthcare is important, then will use the example of the Philippines as a case study to illustrate the issues, focusing on the problems lack of access to healthcare can cause, and some possible solutions.

Why is Access to Healthcare Important?

This section looks at why access to healthcare is important. Access to healthcare means that all of people have chances to get the medical services which are provided by medical profession such as doctors, nurses, and midwife (“National Healthcare Quality Report” 2014, October). In addition, access to healthcare also means that there are enough medical facilities and drug stores near the residents. In 1951, WHO defined health as: “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, n.d.). One reason healthcare is important is that it is a human right, since according to WHO, “It is the fundamental human right for every people to receive the highest attainable standard of health without distinction of race, religion, political belief, economic or social condition” (WHO, n.d.). However, another reason that healthcare is important is that healthier countries have stronger economies (“Health and Population,” n.d.). It is difficult to prove clearly which comes first – poverty or poor health - however access to healthcare is an important element for people trying to escape from poverty (“Key facts: Poverty and poor Health,” n.d.). As such, the next section uses the example of the Philippines as a case study to explore this issue in detail, looking in particular at problems lack of healthcare can cause, and some possible solutions to those problems.

Case Study: Access to Healthcare in the Phillipines

This section first describes the Philippines in general, and then looks at some problems lack of healthcare has caused there, and some possible solutions to those problems. This paragraph describes healthcare in the Philippines in general. This country was chosen because it is a rapidly developing country, and because the author is visiting it next year. There are some differences in the healthcare systems of the Philippines and Japan. One difference is that inspection and treatment facilities in the Philippines are often in different places (“Filipin no iryoujijyou,” 2012), while Japanese hospitals tend to have everything integrated in one building, including pharmacy. The next paragraph looks at some problems lack of access to healthcare causes people.

This paragraph describes healthcare access issues experienced by people in the Philippines. There are three main problems - lack of medical treatment, population concentration, and double liability. The first problem is lack of medical treatment. Cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes accounted for 45 percent of total deaths in 2014 (WHO, 2014). These diseases can be treated by modern medical technology, however they are becoming a main cause of death in the Philippines. The main reason is that a lot of people cannot pay medical bills because they are too expensive (“The cost of medical care in the Philippines,” n.d.). For example, kidney diseases are the seventh biggest cause of death in the Philippines (“The cost of medical care in the Philippines,” n.d.), partly because dialysis costs over 40,000 pesos per month (“The cost of medical care in the Philippines,” n.d.) which is too expensive for many. The second problem is population concentration. The people who live in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu have much better health services than the poor who live in rural area (“Health and population,” n.d). This is partly because of higher income (Philippine Statistics Authority, 2013, December 26) and partly because there are more medical facilities in urban areas (Ishida & Nakajima, 1985, March). The third problem is double liability. The poor have to borrow money from someone to receive health services. However a lot of doctors only think about their profit and then they recommend unnecessary supplements at a high price (Teshigawara, 2012). In addition, people have to pay transportation expenses because there is not enough medical support in their area (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, 2015, April 1). This situation is known as “double liability” and poor people suffer from debt in exchange for healthcare. For the reasons described above, the situation of healthcare in the Philippines needs attention The next paragraph looks at possible solutions to these issues.

Solutions paragraph deliberately left blank! Research your own!

Conclusion

In conclusion, this essay first looked at why access to healthcare is important, then used the example of the Philippines as a case study to illustrate the issues, focusing on the problems lack of access to healthcare can cause, and some possible solutions. Healthcare is important because it linked to not only people’s condition but also the economy. There are three main problems - lack of medical treatment, population concentration, and double liability – and because of these problems, a lot of people are suffering. There are three possible solutions – 1, 2, and 3 – however none of them are effective now. From this case study in the Philippines, it can be seen that support is needed, and students who want to help should DETAIL ON 3.

References

Agency’s mandate and functions. (n.d.). Phillipines Health. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.philhealth.gov.ph/about_us/mandate.html

AHRQ. (2014, October). National healthcare quality report, 2011. AHRQ. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/nhqrdr/nhqr11/chap9.html

Case study in the Philippines. (2015). Ferris University International Exchange Department Journal of Glocal, 11, 1-14.

The cost of medical care in the Philippines. (n.d.). Money Monster. Retrieved October 31, 2015, from http://www.moneymonster.ph/news-and-tips/cost-medical-care-philippines/

Domingo, A. (2013, September 26). Medical governance and health policy in the Philippines. Slideshare. http://www.slideshare.net/aedomingo/medical-governance-and-health-policy-in-the-philippines

Filipin no iryoujijyou [Medical situation in the Philippines]. (2012). HCPG. http://www.hcpg.jp/medicalinfo/south-asia/868.html

Gold, M. (1998). Beyond coverage and supply: measuring access to healthcare in today’s market. Health Services Research, 33(3), 625-652.

GOVPH. (n.d.). About the Philippines. Retrieved November 23, 2015, from http://www.gov.ph/ Health. (n.d.). WHO. Retrieved November 4, 2015, from http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story046/en/

Health and population.(n.d.). Invest Philippines. Retrieved November 16, 2015, from http://www.investphilippines.info/arangkada/climate/health-and-population/

Ishida, S., & Nakajima, S. (1985, March). Sekai no rihabilite-shon [World rehabilitation]. DINF. http://www.dinf.ne.jp/doc/japanese/prdl/jsrd/rehab/r048/r048_025.html# D025

Key Facts: Poverty and poor health. (n.d.). Health Poverty Action. Retrieved October 29, 2015, from http://www.healthpovertyaction.org/info-and-resources/the-cycle-of-poverty-and-poor-health/key-facts/

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. (2015, April 1). Zaigaikoukan imukan jyouhou [Information about medical officer]. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan. http://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/toko/medi/asia/phili.html

Philippine Statistics Authority. (2013, December 26). Number of families, total and average annual family income and expenditure by region: 2012. Phillipines Government. https://psa.gov.ph/content/2012-fies-statistical-tables

Teshigawara, K. (2012). Chiiki no iryouakusesu to gurobarize-syon: firipin no nousontiiki wo jirei tosite [Access to medical care and globalization: Noncommunicable Diseases Country Profiles]. (2014). WHO. http://www.who.int/nmh/countries/phl_en.pdf