Health care, or healthcare, whichever term you prefer, is the prevention, treatment and management of sickness using the facilities offered by the medical, nursing and allied health professions. Although The World Health Organization would like to see the term extended to include all individuals whether an individual or whole populations. The organized provision of such facilities may constitute a healthcare system.
The expression healthcare has not always been used though and prior to this is it was often just referred to medicine or the health sector but this was utilized more by English speaking countries. Even in most developing nations there is a form of healthcare provision for everyone whether they are in a position to pay or not. Established in 1948, The National Health Service in the United Kingdom was the world’s first general healthcare system provided by government.
In Italy, they have a system that works by making everyone pay into a administration funded insurance scheme which The World Health Organization consider the second best healthcare system in the world. Two other systems like that in Italy, both using the name Medicare, one in Australia and the other in Canada were begun between the late 1960’s and the early 1980’s. These systems are almost opposite to the systems presently provided in American and South Africa although there are huge changes taking place in the system used by South Africa. A healthcare professional is someone who dedicates their skills to the prevention, intervention and aftercare of disease and illnesses with the intention to preserve and protect life and improve the lives of the disabled or infirm.
Whether you use the phrase healthcare industry or not, it is still one of the fastest growing around the world with an average cost of 10 percent of gross domestic product it also plays a large part in the economy of any country. The United States bucks this trend with, back in 2003, a health industry responsible or over 15 percent of gross domestic product but this is anticipated to rise considerably by 2016 when it will almost one fifth of The USA GDP.
This is causing problems for large numbers of Americans with 180 million currently seeking adequate health care provision and it is also their single biggest worry. The costs of healthcare in America have risen so much that General Motors had considered filing bankruptcy due to the increasing health care costs wearing down its auto manufacturing division. Luckily it didn’t happen after some concessions and compromises made with the unions but it does show how something like this can have an outcome on even the largest of companies.
In The United States, the prime concern of employees is their companies healthcare plans, even above their salaries, such is the importance placed on this progressively costly service. One answer is to this international issue is improve the general health and fitness of individuals generally so that this heavy reliance on medical care can be eased.
