‘Third World’ Shouldn’t Look to USA for Health Care Models

Written by Rebecca Longstreth

Thursday, 17 September 2009 15:21

Assalaamu alaykum

As a former Peace Corps volunteer to the West African country of Benin (2003-2005), I am pleased to see the Muslim community addressing the issue of malaria, as covered in the Aug 21-Sept 17, 2009 edition of the Muslim Link. Malaria is a devastating illness that can be well-controlled and prevented with the right amount of organization and commitment.

However, as a newly-licensed nurse, I am a bit concerned with the statement that “the health care culture of Third World countries must radically change to replicate those in the West.”

I know that the author probably meant that the Third World needed to replicate Western facilities, becoming better-equipped, staffed, and distributed among the general population. Beyond that, the Western health care culture actually consists of several different cultures, and there are certainly some that are preferable to others.

In the many countries of the “West,” (such as many European nations, Canada, Australia), health care is a basic right. In some cases, health care is completely socialized, or run by the government. In other cases, all citizens have the right to seek medical care in the state-run facilities, but there are also private options. I compare it to our education system, where we have both public and private schools. While not everyone is 100% satisfied with these programs 100% of the time, the overall health statistics for these countries are quite good. Not one country has ever dismantled its public health system after introducing it.

Here in America, health care is not considered a basic right. The results are less than outstanding. We spend twice as much per capita as any other developed nation, yet our health indicators are worse than most. Somewhere between 45 million and 50 million people are uninsured, leaving them with very few options when it comes to seeking health care. I’ve met plenty of people within our own ummah who have this dilemma--people who have chosen a diminished quality of life because they simply cannot afford that eye or leg operation. Our free clinics don’t provide that level of care. Sixty percent of the bankruptcies in this country are due to medical expenses, and that’s from data published this year, at the height of a foreclosure crisis. While malaria may not be a major problem here, plenty of other controllable and preventable diseases like Type II Diabetes devastate America’s population in other ways.

Plenty of solutions have been suggested to remedy our health care crisis in America and Congress will probably be debating them for a few months to come. I think, however, that the Third World’s solution should be clear. Those countries should try to avoid getting mired in an American-style health care system. If they must choose a Western model to follow, there are plenty of others, as Taiwan found out a few years ago when it introduced its own state-run health care. But surely God knows best.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Longstreth
Maryland