Healthy is a crucially important factor to both the wellbeing of citizens and therefore the wider wellbeing of the overall nation. It ensures that poor health is taken care of, that illnesses are curbed before they spread, and that populations remain healthy and happy as they go about their day-to-day lives. Nowadays, there is hardly a nation in the world that does not supply some form of healthcare to it’s citizens – however, there are still a scant few that have yet to achieve universal healthcare, for various reasons.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), universal healthcare, or universal health coverage (UHC) is achieved when all citizens have equal and full access to all healthcare services whenever they need it, without meeting any barriers to necessary medical assistance such as financial inability. In order words, universal healthcare describes a healthcare system in which healthcare is available for citizens anytime they need it, and is generally paid via general taxes to ensure that all citizens do not have to bear the full brunt of, and be potentially financially debilitated by, medical costs. So for example, if a person were to suddenly contract conditions such as liver cirrhosis, they may be able to manage it themselves with helpful medicines such as Proganic liver cirrhosis Chinese medicine from Malaysia (also known as 保肝寧肝硬化中藥治療馬來西亞) – but with universal healthcare in place, they can also receive full medical attention for their conditions with minimal issue.
While most populations generally agree that universal healthcare is incredibly advantageous to the nation and it’s citizens and should therefore always be sought after, some countries have yet to achieve universal healthcare; the USA being a prominent example. This can be due to various reasons; such as (but not limited to) an individualistic culture that believes healthcare should be handled by the self rather than the government. Regardless, there are still various reasons why it is important for nations to implement a universal healthcare system; and here’s a few of them.
- It ensures healthcare access for all.
As it says right on the tin, universal healthcare is meant to be universal. By providing free healthcare services to those who need it, this ensures that everyone – from the richest communities who can easily afford such treatment on their own, to the poorest ones who would be financially debilitated by medical fees otherwise – can gain access to the medical services and assistance they need whenever they need it, without the fear of insurmountable financial remuneration.
This is especially relevant for minority communities such as the physically disabled community; who tend to require healthcare assistance, certain medicines, and the attainment and maintenance of certain necessary medical tools (e.g. wheelchairs) for all of their lives. Not to mention that minority communities such as this one, due to unfair prejudices in employment and the overall population, may tend to be among the poorest communities of the nation; and would therefore be unable to consistently afford the healthcare they regularly need in their day-to-day lives. Free and easy access to healthcare ensures that these communities are protected and helped; and not just given to majority abled and/or middle-class communities who can afford it.
- Healthcare as a basic human right.
Tying somewhat into the previous point, it is important to recognize that healthcare is inherently a basic human right. It is something that should be fundamentally available to all human beings, regardless of who they are and whether they have the wherewithal to afford the treatment. It is therefore unfair for people to be barred from a basic human right due to financial inabilities, nor should someone continue to suffer for most of their lives and/or die due to curable diseases just because they cannot afford healthcare. All-in-all, asking someone to pay exorbitant prices to cure themselves of an illness is in the same vein as barring a starving person from food just because the prices are overly expensive and they cannot pay for it – ultimately, you are withholding a basic human right, something necessary for someone to live, from a person who desperately needs it.
- It ensures the safety of the population.
Overall, universal health care ensures the safety of not just the person who needs it, but the wider population. This is especially pertinent during an outbreak of a contagious disease; in which one person contracting it risks the wellbeing of not just themselves, but the people around them. By ensuring easy access to healthcare, universal health care ensures those who have contracted said disease are given the treatment they need; and therefore the curbing of the disease before it spreads. Conversely, if healthcare was withheld behind financial barriers, some carriers may not be able to afford the treatment; and therefore cannot be cured and consequently unable to stop exposing others to the contagion. As such, it is important to recognize that not just healthcare, but universal healthcare, is incredibly important to nations everywhere.
