The recent health care debate has raised a number of good points from many different perspectives. An interesting side note that has emerged is the debate over whether the United States truly does have the best health care system in the world - an argument that was completely taken for granted just a decade ago. Now, many Americans are beginning to at least question the possibility that this is not a truth on its face. With an open mind, let us examine some facts and figures to help us determine whether the American health care system is, in fact, second to none.
Infant mortality rate - this is typically one of the leading indicators often used to determine the quality of a country's medical care. A birth can be a chaotic experience, but the system for it has put to a science (as much as medical care can be). Since the overall mortality rate has plummeted as the level of medical science and medical care has increased over time, it stands to reason (within some levels) that the countries that offer the best medical care will see the lowest infant mortality rate - so long as the citizens of that country have adequate access to that care. Surprisingly, the United States ranks just 46th in this category with 6.26 infant mortalities per 1000 live births. The top 5 nations by this measure are Singapore, Bermuda, Sweden, Japan, & Hong Kong. Canada, a nation whose health care is based more socialistic values and is used by many as a system of what the United States should not emulate ranks in a 34th with 5.06 deaths per 1000.
We can also go to the opposite end of the life cycle and look at life expectancy by country. Now, admittedly, life expectancy can be affected by numerous factors, such as environment and personal lifestyle. Nonetheless, medical care is a factor in a nation's life expectancy and, as such, it is a number that should be considered. The US improves in this category to 36th - with an average life expectancy of 78 years. The top five nations in this category are Japan (83 years), Hong Kong (82), Iceland (82), Switzerland (82), and Australia (81). Canada comes in 11th at 80.7 years.
Finally, I would like to examine cancer survival rates. For this purpose, we will look at prostate and breast cancer as they are amongst the easiest (by cancer standards) to diagnose and common across all nations, races and cultures. Here, the US does come in at #1 in five year survival rates for both types of cancer. For comparison, the Canadians also rank in the top 10.
This last factor serves as a large feather in the American health care system's hat. Cancer is a complicated disease and one of the hardest to treat. It would stand to reason that the best survival rates would belong to the best health care. Nonetheless, the other numbers are disturbing for a country that does have legitimate claims to the best doctors, nurses, and facilities. As such, this article leaves the debate unsettled (I'm not so arrogant as to have expected otherwise). But it is important that we keep this debate going, find areas where we can improve, and even look at what some other countries are doing (both in terms of care and finances) and find items that can be effectively implemented into our own for improvement - to believe otherwise would require an entirely new level of arrogance.
By Felix Chesterfield III
For more information on international medical care, including International Medical Schools, please contact the author directly. You can also learn more on international health data by visiting the World Health Organization.
Source : http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Felix_Chesterfield
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