What is universal health care?

Universal health care

 Universal health care is a system that provides medical services to all citizens, when and where they need them. These services are provided without any financial requirements. It includes all medical services from essential health services to palliative care,  prevention, treatment, rehabilitation. Presently, half of the world does not receive the health services they needed. Every year, almost 100 million people are pushed into supreme poverty because they spend most of their wealth on health. This system should be changed. To provide health services to everyone, we need to access individuals and communities who can take care of their health and the health of their families. The universal health care system should be based on skilled health workers, Strong and people-centered primary health care. The Federal Government offers people to perform these services according to their abilities. They do not only perform their duties in treating disease and illness but also focus on helping and to improve their quality of life. Universal health care systems are funded by payroll taxes and general income taxes. 

Goal of universal health care

The main goal of universal health care is to provide medical services without suffering from financial hardships. For any country or community who want to achieve universal health care coverage should have several factors including:

• A well-organized and well-running health system. That meets all priorities of health need through people-centered desegregated care. The system should also perform some serious services such as malaria, non-communicable disease, maternal and all child disease.
• The system should encourage people to stay healthy and always ready to perform medical service immediately. It should have the capacity to detect the medical condition and to treat it as soon as possible. It should also provide help in rehabilitation. 
• The universal health care system should be affordable. People should not suffer financial hardship when dealing with this system. The system should be achieved in different ways. It should be friendly.
• The system should have access to modern technology and essential medicine to diagnose the medical condition and treat it. 
• The system should have hardworking and motivated workers to provide efficient medical services. The system should keep records of the critical role played by all sectors to assure human health, including transport and education. The system directly impacts the population’s health. The universal health care system enables people to access health services directly from this system. So, people could be more productive and active in the health of their family and community. This system also ensures that the children are going to school for learning. Simultaneously, they take care of people. So, they could not be pushed toward poverty when they have to pay for medical services in poor condition. The universal health care system is resolutely established in the WHO (World Health Organization) constitution of 1948. It is declared by the Alma-Ata and all agenda on health in1978 that health is a fundamental human right. 

Advantages of Universal Health care

• The most important advantage of universal health care is that everyone can get medical service. People have health insurance and no one can go bankrupt.
•  The system lessens the overall medical cost because the government always controls prices through negotiation for medication. 
• The universal health care system divided medical services equally. In these services, no doctors or hospital will be able to target and serve the affluent clients. It means that everyone will get the same services from this system. As the Universal Health Care system has a healthier and friendly workforce. 
• If a person has Universal health care from his birth, it will help him for a healthier longer life and reduces social difficulties. 

Disadvantages of Universal Health care

• In some developing countries, people have to wait a long time to access services from the Universal Health care system. Sometimes, they even have to wait for several months. The Government may pay attention to essential and life-saving health care. They may sometimes neglect to recover the rare and elective diseases. 
• If the government of developing countries is suffering from the budget, the Universal Health Care system will be expensive for them. The government will feel that medical services are spending money lavishly that is important for other essential programs. 
• Some unprofessional and unkind doctors may cut care at lower costs if the people are not paying well. Because some cost is also cut by the Government. 

Different types of Universal Health Care

There are different essential types of the Universal Health Care system that provide different services. 

1. Socialized medicine: in this model of Universal Health care, the Government will own hospitals. All doctors and nurses would be Government employees. The United kingdom’s National Health Service is an example of this model. It is the most cost-effective system. But all doctors and patients have a specific choice for the treatment and procedures
2. Single-Payer System: the second model of Universal Health Care is a single-payer system, just like Canada. The Government provides health insurance for everyone, under a single-payer. But, all doctor’s offices and hospitals are nonprofits. This system provides more choice between doctors and hospitals with different procedures of care. However, this model costs more than socialization medicine.
3. Private insurance: this third model of the Universal Health Care system is private insurance. This model permits insurance companies to instruct everyone to purchase some type of health insurance.

Countries that have Universal Health care: In 2018, almost 32 to 33 developed countries have The Universal Health Care system. Some countries are North and Central America, South America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Oceania.