Healthcare Global Marketing

DISTRIBUTION AND PERCEPTIONS ON HEALTHCARE IN THREE DIFFERENT COUNTRIES AND CULTURES.

BANGLADESH

With a ratio of 1:3,500 of doctor vs. patients, healthcare system in Bangladesh faces numerous challenges when providing the services to its citizens.  The government has provided an extensive health care infrastructure that runs along geographical boundaries. This creates a hierarchy so that health services are provided from primary level or grassroots levels and the chain escalates to a more complicated care or districts levels as commonly known. The health care provided by the government is free in consultations and medication.

The system doesn’t differentiate the rich and the poor. In his article, Quddus (2014) explains that the Bangladesh government has failed to provide enough personnel for the population and one would find a pharmacist acting as a doctor which is a total failure of the system. Citizens also face challenges of getting medical reports from previous visits and this leads to poor track of medical records for a patient.  Most hospitals are staffed with unqualified personnel with no education and experience.  The staff are also overworked and underpaid.

HONDURAS

Honduras is faced very poor health care system and more than 83% of the populations do not have health insurance and more than 30% cannot access health services. There is very high infant mortality. According to Pearson, et,al (2012), the reasons for this range from inadequate number of doctors, limited medical supplies, poor infrastructure, financial problems and other social political factors. Apart from health services, the populations have no access to clean drinking water and there is very poor sanitation. All this contributes to increase in infection and with the limited medical services, the death rates are very high.

Majority of the health care places are staffed with auxiliary nurses.  The patients have to walk for long distances to access these medial places which have no medication and personal.  The large number of patients results to overworking of the nurses and patients suffering since they have to wait for long hours or even for a day or two to be attended.  Few non-governmental organizations have set camps that could assist the population in treating the infectious disease. However, this is nothing compared to the large population that needs treatment. The citizens feel the government has neglected them and have not done enough to solve this issue.

CANADA

Polls conducted by Ipsos shows Canada as one of the countries with the most improved healthcare for the last five years. This is based on ease to access medical services, and patients’ aged between 18 to 64 years experiences.  According to Wright, (2013), the reason as to why health care in Canada was rated as being among the best is because of the disparity that exists across the regions and the provinces that health care system has the force towards improvement and overall accessibility. Another reason is the increased importance on the value of good health care system opinion that exists in the public.  This is driven by the new economic reality which was created by economic collapse in 2008.

The government also appreciates the tax payer efforts and therefore sees them as the consumers and this makes them give an effort in provision of good health care system.  However, not all provinces are of this view, and some are of the view that there is no national coverage and also the health system does not utilize the dollars allocated to the healthcare and therefore there is waste in the resources.

References

Pearson, C, A., Stevens, M, P., Sanogo K, & Bearman, G, M, L. (2012). “Access and Barriers to  Healthcare Vary among Three Neighboring Communities in Northern Honduras” International Journal of Family Medicine, Volume 2012 (2012), Article ID 298472,            http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2012/298472, retrieved from         http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ijfm/2012/298472/ on 3 Jun 2014

Quddus, S. (2014). The Building Blocks of the Government Healthcare System. mPower Social    Enterprises Ltd as retrieved from            http://www.yourhealth.gov.au/internet/yourhealth/publishing.nsf/Content/report      primaryhealth/$File/NPHCS-buildingblocks.pdf.

Wright, J. (2013). Checking in With Canadians on Their Healthcare System: 2013 Score Cards   on Ease of Access, Patient Experience. Ipsos Reid as retrieved from http://www.ipsosna.com/news-polls/pressrelease.aspx?id=5986 on 1 Jun 2014.