What difference do you find between private and public health source in your area
Answers
Access to health care, and utilization of health care, is increasingly being identified as one of the most pressing challenges to the health care system, and by extension health policy, in many developing as well as some developed nations.1,2 This discussion is taking place against the background of increasing recognition of health as a human right, an important component of development and one of the main dimensions and factors in overall wellbeing.1 Regional health priority, according to Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and Caribbean Community (Caricom), ought to focus on reducing health inequalities.3 While many factors contribute to the development of health inequalities, it is recognized that health care is one of the factors.1 Studies have also shown a relationship between socioeconomic differences and the use of health care services in several countries.4
The relative utilization of public and private health care varies markedly between countries.
Despite the higher cost of private health care in India for gynecological disorders, urological diseases, heart diseases, tuberculosis and diarrheal disorders, 58% of the patients in a national sample used private health care.5
On the other hand, the Australian health care system sees higher utilization of medical services compared to other OECD countries.6 However, Australians with higher income are more likely to see specialists compared to their low income counterparts who see general practitioners and there is concern that Australians with different incomes do not get the same mix of medical services.6 In Western Australia, policies favoring private health insurance (PHI) modified patients’ behavior by decreasing the move away from the private sector. Policy reforms have generated demand for health care because the increase use of PHI was partly a function of the demand of patients who were patients in public hospitals.7
The Norwegian public health system with expensive private care and free public health care is very revealing.8 One study found that the physicians working in dual practice create lower overall provision of health care because dual practice crowds out the provision of public services. Regarding solutions, the health authority can offer higher wages. Also a ban on dual practice works best if public and private care is relatively close substitutes and competition from the private sector is weak. However, in the case where private sector is strong, a pure national health system is inferior to a mixed system,8 and the interests of the various stakeholders should be taken into account.
In 2005 a majority of Canadian doctors voted in support of private insurance to cover necessary medical services that cannot be offered in a timely manner by the public system. The doctors have been accused of acting in their own self interests and there have been calls to support medicare and the public interests.9
In developing countries, the quality of private health care for low to middle income users can be enhanced by improving quality, preventing exploitative prices, and promoting wider access.10 These strategies can be buttressed by free service for targeted groups, community education, and accreditation programs. The effectiveness of these additional strategies is a function of the capabilities of stakeholders and the context in which they operate.
Sinclair showed convincing status differentials in the use of health centers and private general practice services between communities in Kingston, Jamaica.11 The extent of the differentials in use of public–private health care services are affected by the relative price of health care, which is dependent on the actual price and economic enabling factors such as health insurance.11 A positive correlation has been illustrated between health insurance coverage and utilization of private practitioner services in a low income Jamaican suburb, supporting the finding that public–private differentials are sensitive to affordability of health care services.12 The public–private differential in Jamaica is not just affected by socioeconomic status, government policy, and resource insufficiency; but also traditional spiritual beliefs influence health care utilization, particularly in rural Jamaica.13
Research shows the success of public–private partnerships to improve welfare and health services for a broad range of health problems in developing countries has been mixed.14