However, private companies have made them quite costly for ordinary individuals. Do the advantages of private health care outweigh its disadvantages?
Band 9 IELTS essay sample
Affordable health care is a basic need and right. Unfortunately, in many countries medical expenses are pretty high. Private hospitals charge exorbitant amounts of money for treating even minor ailments. They also order unnecessary tests and keep patients hospitalized for longer duration. Even so, in my opinion, the existence of private healthcare providers is a boon for the public.
Healthcare used to be a service. Now, private healthcare providers have commercialized it. They have invested in medical equipment costing several millions of dollars and want to recoup that money by making patients undergo even those tests that they do not require. Also, they charge a hefty fee for treatment. Consequently, only the affluent can seek treatment in a private hospital.
Government hospitals, on the other hand, provide affordable and in many cases free treatment and medicine to patients. They hospitalize patients only in cases where it is absolutely necessary. The main problem is that the quality of care is not always great. Government hospitals are always crowded and they constantly run out of beds and other facilities. Also, there is considerable waiting time. Patients may have to wait days or even weeks before they can get admitted. In some cases, the patient’s condition may deteriorate during this period and they could even die.
By contrast, private hospitals provide prompt treatment. Since they charge a fee for providing healthcare, cases of medical negligence are rarely reported from private hospitals. They are quite concerned about their reputation and work hard to provide quality care. In India, for example, there are both private and public hospitals. However, most people, even the poor, prefer to go to a private hospital when they have a major health issue. Because they are paying for the care, people can rest assured that they will receive quality care without any delay. While it is possible to argue that the government should invest more money in public healthcare and improve the quality of government hospitals, in highly populous developing countries like India, there is a limit to the amount of money governments can pump into the public healthcare sector. Because of these reasons, private hospitals are here to stay. Of course, they have their shortcomings and they are profit hungry and people often have to pawn or sell their assets to fund their treatment in a private hospital. Yet, they are a necessity.
In short, private hospitals have certainly made healthcare unaffordable to poor people. Yet, we need them because the public health infrastructure in many countries is inadequate to cater to the entire population.
