Healthcare Delivery in Australia Switzerland and Saudi Arabia Research Paper

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Comparative Analysis of Global Healthcare

Various governments across the globe are tasked with the responsibility of providing healthcare to the citizens. Their economic status and models influence the quality of care provided. This has resulted in the disparities in quality from country to another with some countries acting as case studies to be emulated. The following study is a comparative analysis of three healthcare systems around the world with a focus on Australia, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland. The study compares the residents’ overall level of access to preventive and tertiary care. This is followed by the comparison of the health expenditures and healthcare funding mechanisms in the three countries. The discussion will then delve on the life expectancy for each gender, overall leading cause of death, and infant mortality rates in each selected country. The final section provides an overview of deaths caused by diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular diseases and oncological conditions in these countries.

The General Level of Access to Preventive and Tertiary Care

Australia’s healthcare system is regarded as one of the best in the world. However, it is not easy for the residents to get the care and information they need. It is difficult for many people to access healthcare services because of two major reasons. This has affected populations with special needs such as people with chronic and complex health conditions who are in dire need of health services. The first barrier relates to the availability of health professionals and health services (OECD Publishing. 2010). Therefore, there is a sharp difference in accessing healthcare services based on where one resides. The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) reports that remote and regional areas have higher rates of hospital admission and lower rates of doctor consultation as compared to the major cities. Most of the people lack access to a doctor in the weekends, evenings and public holidays. Language is also another factor contributing to the lack of access. For people to obtain the best healthcare, they must find a provider whom they can communicate well and is trustworthy. Sometimes, there is lack of information and services because the only language used is English.

The Saudi Arabian healthcare system comprises of the private sector, the semi-public sector, and public sector (OECD Publishing, 2010). The government is responsible for ensuring that all the citizens have access to proper preventive and tertiary care. For this reason, public hospitals are exclusively available and accessible to the Saudi nationals with some exceptions, which permit expatriates to access basic care hospitals or specialized services in areas such as the rural area where private facilities are unavailable. Therefore, the expat populace that is highly concentrated in Jeddah and Riyadh are increasingly using private healthcare facilities.

Switzerland provides its citizens with great access to government-sponsored medical and health care (OECD, 2003). The residents have access to these services using Health Insurance Cards (HICs). While seeking to enhance these services, the government has subsidized healthcare for them on a graduated basis. The subsidy prevents the residents from spending more of their income on insurance. However, people are free to choose between supplemental coverage and high-deductible plans (OECD Publishing. 2010).

Health Expenditures Regarding the GDP

From the comparison, Switzerland has the highest healthcare expenditure. In fact, the country has the second highest expenditure in the world, after the United States.

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Therefore, Switzerland provides its citizens with great access to government-sponsored medical and health care. The government of Saudi Arabia has allocated roughly 11% of the national budget towards healthcare and social services. It translates into a 50% increase over the previous year's allocation of 8% of the national budget. About 70% of the country’s healthcare expenditure is funded via public sources while the remaining 30% are funded by private sources (Jacobs et al. 2009). In Switzerland, health expenditure is quite high compared to Australia and Saudi Arabia. The healthcare expenditure in Australia is significantly lower than the per capita expenditure of advanced nations. This year, only 18% of the total budget has been allocated to healthcare.

The Common Mechanisms for Funding Health Care

In all the three countries, the government has set a statutory mechanism for funding health care, especially the universal coverage. In Australia, the provinces are required to fulfill specified conditions to participate in the provincial fund sharing programs. However, the mechanisms of raising funds vary. For instance, the National Health Service of Switzerland draws largely on the general revenues. Almost 70% of the country’s health bill derives from the provincial and national general revenues (Jacobs et al. 2009). Australia relies heavily on work-related social insurance contributions. Moreover, Australia and Switzerland have numerous types and degrees of cost-sharing by patients. Saudi Arabia’s public sector owns most of the healthcare facilities and offers the bulk of care services in the country. This sector is funded largely by oil revenues. Statistics from World Health Organization reveal that Saudi spent $620 per citizen on healthcare, of which the government paid 78% and 16% was an out-of-pocket expenditure.

The Making of Health Policy Decisions at the National Level

In the past few years, the three countries have been engaged in health system reforms, which have promoted competition underpinned by a dedication to patient choice. In Australia, choice of primary care provider, autonomy, and participation remain the central mechanism for empowering the patient (Jacobs et al. 2009). However, it is less apparent because attempts to regain public confidence in the services offered have sparked a consumerist approach that seeks to improve efficiency through democratic engagement. In fact, the 2012 Health and Social Care Act reversed the opportunities for engaging the public and patients in making health policy decisions both at the state and national levels (OECD, 2014). Currently, Australians participate in policy decisions through local Health Watch Organizations such as the NHS Citizen, a national program created to give the citizens a say on health policy matters. Citizens also give their contributions through local patient participation groups. Moreover, the government involves the public by developing joint approaches with local authorities, local health Watch, voluntary groups, health and wellbeing boards as well as other organizations, particularly those that have already established relationships with the local neighborhoods. Conversely, in Saudi Arabia, the government sets all the health policy decisions and directions for healthcare. The government has always undermined efforts to ensure the public, patients, and cares to participate in the decision-making process (Jacobs et al. 2009).

Unlike Australia and Saudi, public participation in health care policy decision in Switzerland is highly embedded in democratic organizations. Elected officials primarily represent the citizens in all the healthcare regions. This means that in Switzerland, healthcare policy decisions are made according to.....

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