Question

Make a comparison between Algeria and the United States on the basis of important aspects of a health care including major challenges faced by the US healthcare system.

Answer 1

The healthcare systems in Algeria is not that much developed as US. It is not up-to dated. But the US healthcare system is well developed and has all modern facilities. Access to healthcare is enhanced by the requirement that doctors and dentists work in public health for at least five years. However, doctors are more easily found in the cities of the north than in the southern Sahara region. While medical equipment and medications in public facilities may not always be up to date, staffing levels are high. The private health sectors in Algeria is a non government run health care system which citizens must pay for their services. The private health care sector had developed quickly to fill the gaps that the government public health care system had left.^[6] Private medical care is very limited as their services are not covered by the public health care system and only a few Algerians can afford to pay out of pocket for their own medical treatments.

The current quality crisis in America’s heath care is well recognized. Numerous recent studies have led to the conclusion that “the burden of harm conveyed by the collective impact of all of our health care quality problems is staggering. Likewise, the President’s Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry (1998: 21) note that “today, in America, there is no guarantee that any individual will receive high-quality care for any particular health problem.”

The related figures are illustrative. Estimates of the number of Americans dying each year as a result of medical errors are as high as 98,000—more than those who die from motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer, or AIDS (Institute of Medicine, 2000). The American public is dissatisfied with chronic care; 72 percent of those surveyed believe it is difficult for people living with chronic conditions to obtain the necessary care from their health care providers (Harris Interactive and ARiA Marketing, 2000). Health professionals are also concerned: 57 percent of U.S. physicians surveyed said their ability to provide quality care has been reduced in the last 5 years, and 41 percent stated that they are discouraged from reporting or not encouraged to report medical errors (Blendon et al., 2001); 76 percent of nurses surveyed indicated that unsafe working conditions interfere with their ability to deliver quality care .