Discuss about the Australian Health System for Providemedical Services.
A health system is the arrangementindividuals, organizations, and assetswho providemedical services to meet the medical requirements of specific part of the populations.A health system is comprised of all instituions, individuals,and actions whose main purpose is to improve, reestablish or sustain health. It involves efforts to affect factors tha impact health as well as directly doing health-improving deeds. A health system is, hence, more than the collection of facilities belonging to the publicwhich offerindividual health services (Sturmberg, O’halloran, & Martin, 2012). It involves inter-segment acttivities by health personell, for example, urging the ministry of education to endorseeducating of females, a well-knowninfluencing factor of better health.A good health system offers good quality services to every individual, where and when they require them. The precisearrangementof services differs from nation to nation, but in all instances itnecessitates a huge fundingsystem; a well-educated, trained and appropriately paidlabor force; dependabledata on which to foundresolutionsand policies; well-preservedamenitiesand logistics to give quality technologies and medicines (Frenk, et al., 2010). This essay will look at the Australian health system. It will give a description of the health system, how it is governed and what are its functions. It will then give and describe the factors which impact the health system’s design and functions. Finally, it will explain what current vital issues are impacting the health system so much it requires a remedy.
The Australian health system provides an extensive array of services to Australian citizens. It is mainly funded by the public through general taxes that the population pays but it also consists of other various funders. It comprises of various healthcare providers who make it possible to provide healthcare to individuals in Australia who require it. In the Australian healthcare system, the emergency departments (EDs) and General practitioners (GPs) act as the focal point where it connects to other health services. These services include inpatient care, specialist consultation, diagnostic tests and hospital admission. These different tiers in the system fulfill various roles. First, the primary healthcare is where most people first go when they get sick. This service is given in different settings like community health centers, home and in general practices. The services are given by doctors together with pharmacists, dentists, community nurses and allied health specialists. There is also the general practitioners who provide their services in the after-hours. It is used by those who cannot get medical help because the general practices are closed for the day and aremainly available in major cities. Emergency departments provide immediate healthcare to patients with crucial and urgent treatment (De Savigny, & Adam, 2009). Specialists consultants work in a specific field of medicine such as gynecology and dermatology. Hence patients go to specialists through referrals by GPs or when they have a specific problem like issues with their skin. My health record provides an online compilation of a summary of your health records. It makes it easier to provide your information during doctors visits thus making the process go faster. Local and primary health networks is a list of a network of hospitals in different regions in the country thus making it easier to know where one can access medical services in these regions. These hospitals also can develop a working relationship for the good of patients (Szlezák, et al., 2010).
The Australian health system has an intricate structure which works in coordination withensuring that individuals get access to the best healthcare depending on what they require. It has been set in a way that the different components of the system work together in conjunction and seamlessly thus ensuring patients have an easy time getting the services. The system is a mixture of public and private sector health service providers and a range of funding and regulatory mechanisms.The health system has the following components; first is the Australian Government and it has various roles to fulfill. First, the government creates and formulates comprehensive domestic policies which are meant to give rules of operations which help the different components of the health system to function properly(De Savigny, & Adam, 2009). The Government also comes up with regulations which give the different limits for those in the health system. It also provides funding for the Australian health system through two benefits scheme. These are the Medicare benefits scheme where the government provides subsidies to payments for getting services from medical professionals like doctors and allied health providers. Then the pharmaceutical benefits scheme which gives subsidies to payments when an individual has a largenumber of prescribed drugs which are bought in community pharmacies. The government also makes arrangements to provide healthcare to Australian Defence Forces. Finally, the government makes it possible for there to be clinical training and education through the National Medical Training Advisory (Suter, Oelke, Adair, & Armitage, 2009).
The second component is the local governments, territory and state authorities. Its main responsibilities include delivering and managing the public health services given to the individuals who fall under their charge in the areas they oversee. They also maintain relationships directly between them and healthcare providers through ways like regulating private hospitals and health professionals. The next component is the private health professionals like the health specialists, consultant medical doctors,and general practice doctors. All of whom provide healthcare services. Finally are the non-profit and for-profit organizations and voluntary societies. These also work together with healthcare providers to give services to everyone in need (Mossialos, Wenzl, Osborn, &Sarnak, 2016).
The governance arrangement of the Australian health system is set so that the different organization in the health sector can work together while following some rules which have been set. The Australian government has the main responsibility of coordinating the health systemoverall with the help of the state and territory government health ministers. Each minister is responsible for managing the health system that fa under their jurisdiction. The health ministers are referred to as the Health Council collectively and they are under the umbrella of the Council of Australian Governments. The Health Council’s members also include the Newzealand Health Minister and the Australian Government Minister for Veterans’ Affairs. Its responsibility is to give an opportunity for the working together of different agencies on issues o health like primary and secondary care. They also give a consideration of the adding pressures of the cost of healthcare (Smith, et al., 2012). The Health Council is given support by the Australian Health Minister’s Advisory Council. These councils are governed using health regulations set by the Government. These regulations manage things by heading the licensing of pharmacies, registering of private hospitals, regulation of food standards and many other regulations. Health professionals are registered by National Registration and Accreditation Scheme which so far comprises of fourteen professions. The scheme sets standards which the professions must meet thus ensuring that those providing healthcare meet the best standards (Braithwaite, &Travaglia, 2008).
The Australian health system has various functions; first is that it regulates the standards of health providers. It gives standards that those employed in the health sector must meet so that they can give the best care. It ensures that people in Australia get the best healthcare possible which starts with having the most qualified and ethical doctors. The next function is to come up with policies and regulations to govern the whole health sector and all those involved. This ensures that those involved in this sector follow certain rules that are set which ensures everything is upto par. If they do not follow the set rules and regulations there are those in the system tasked with implementing the penalties. The next function is to ensure that those working in the healthcare sector have their rights upheld. The system makes provisions for the existence of professional bodies who ensure that the employers respect the rights of their workers. If they do not the bodies have a right to demand it and also fight for their rights (Dunston, Lee, Boud, Brodie, &Chiarella, 2009).
Another function is to ensure that people in Australia have access to quality healthcare at an affordable price. The system has schemes like Medicare which provide subsidies for hospital care and services. It ensures that individuals can be treated with procedures that are life-saving but were once thought to be expensive. Hence with this people can now easily afford them and also can afford to buy prescriptionmedication. Therefore leading to increased savings for them. The next function is to ensure that everyone in Australia can gain access to quality healthcare wherever they are. Thus this system ensures even distribution of health facilities and personnel in the country. It ensures that anyone even in rural areas has access to the same good quality health care as those in urban areas. Another function is to ensure that all medical personnel is trained to the best of standards and also help in recruiting the best employees to the health sector. With this, it increases the health workforce. Finally, it creates and maintains a way for thehealth sector to get funding. With this funding, it ensures that they can deliver the best health services to the Australian populations. It also regulates the spending of these funds to ensure that they are spent in the right manner and not misused. Thus it ensures that there is accountability in the whole system (Sørensen, et al., 2012).
The Australian health system is quite unique because it is influenced by various factors in its design and also the functions it performs. First is the geography, the country is expansive and covers a lot of areas as compared to some countries which are essentially one big city. Thus because of how huge the country is, the health system should be made in a way that it covers everywhere. The system should make it possible for people in rural areas to access specialized healthcare easily (Holman, et al. , 2008). The next factor is history. The health system was created in line with its colonial history and the political structures created then. Thus the system is influenced by Australia’s connection to Britain and their cultures. The medical training in Australia is modeled after the UK and also Most hospitals in Australia were built during the colonial period. Another factor is the economy of Australia. Its economy is quite strong thus they have a huge capacity of offering healthcare that meets high standards. Thus as the economy is high, the Australian government spends more of their budget on the healthcare system (Kitson, Marshall, Bassett, &Zeitz, 2013). Another thing is the political influence. In Australia, the political class supports the health system and its functioning which ensures that the health system will be successful. They also are critical of the system when it goes wrong thus it leads to the accountability of the system whichensures it meets their high standards of expectations (Boyd, & Fortin, 2010).
The next one is that there is a level of trust between the government and the health sector which leads to the independence of health professionals. With this independence, Australians are sure that the health system works with no third party influence but only for the best of the people who need their services. It thus ensures there is transparency and equal access to different healthcare services (Mair, et al., 2012). The next influence is that the Australian population is aging at a fast rate which leads to various issues arising. There is an increase of individuals who are in need of healthcare services due to developing chronic illnesses. Thus it increases demand for healthcareand also the betterment of the service design and functionality. Also with the agingpopulation, it has led to a reduction in the healthcare workforce. This will result in a reduction of the services offered because there are no qualified people to offer it (Buntin, et al., 2011). The final factor is the demography that exists in Australia. The country is quite huge but has a small population which covers this vast area thus the system has to be made in a way that everyone even in the remotest area can access the services they require. Also, with the huge amount of people immigrating to Australia, the individuals have specialneeds which are different from the ones common in the country. Hence the health needs have evolved in a way that the system needs to be restructured to cover these health needs (Nutbeam, 2008).
The Australian health system faces various key challenges which need to be tackled so that the system can function better. First, with the advent of various new technology in the medical field, it will lead to increased cost. As doctors feel that the use of new technologies will lead to better healthcare for patients, it will lead to the adaptation of them. Thus it will strain the government’s fixed budget for subsidizing services for Australians. This will lead to some people not gaining access to the services they require because it is expensive. Another challenge is that more and more people are aging and are developing several chronic diseases which require all-around care. Thus as all Australians are entitled to some subsidies it will increase the cost for the government because they require the care. Therefore ithas severe implications for the government as it leads to cost pressure to cover these medical care services rendered (Nolte, & McKee, 2008). The next challenge is that a lot of patients report that they feel that the system is working in a disjointed manner. Most medical service providers give work in isolation thus when the patient is referred to the next level to get the care it feels uncoordinated leading to the patient feeling frustrated because they have no clear pattern to follow to get help. They sometimes cannot find the services they need or when they do they find duplicated services provided due to uncoordination (Best, et al., 2012).
The next issue is that the Australian health system is seen as being complex hence challenging to different individuals. These are mostly individuals who have complex medical conditions and are under the care of various medical professionals and with this they have to navigate between these different health services. It becomes difficult for the patients to do all this because it is overwhelming to move from one place to be next when sick (Ludwick,& Doucette, 2009). Also, with this system continuation and follow up care is not assured because they are different professionals involved it’s hard to continue healthcare where another professional left off. Another challenge is there is lack of equity and health equality in Australia. Even though the Australian health sector has made huge improvements to it like increased life expectancy and lowered mortality rates it is not similar to everyone in the population. The life expectancy in the indigenous population which is 70 years of age is significantly lower than ofthose who are non-indigenous which are 84 years. Thus his means that not everyone receives the best healthcare possible even though it exists but it is not available to everyone equally (Rouse, 2008).
Also, the kind of healthcare treatment one receives varies depending on the socio-economic class they belong to. In Australia, the more affluent you are the better you healthcare you receive but if you fall in the lower economic class you will not receive the best healthcare possible. This is not good because the system was developed to provide the best healthcare to Australians with no discrimination at all as it provides subsidies through Medicare (Carayon, et al. , 2006). The next challenge is that the world and specifically is urbanizing really fast. With urbanization, there is the advent of new health challenges which when the system was developed could not have predicted. Hence the system cannot efficiently solve these issues. Issues like increased rates of obesity and increased suicide rates cannot be efficiently handled by a system developed when these issues did not exist (Leape, et al. , 2009). Another challenge is that there is no clear way for there to develop a system to balance funding of the system. As funding is given by both the public and private sector, it has not been established on howmuch each should give so that no one side should strain to provide funds. Thus when there is lack of this it will affect the quality of health care services delivered to the people because of the tussles between the two sectors (Goodman, &Grumbach, 2008).
The next challenge is that the Australian health system of late has been experiencing problems and issues in recruiting and supplying the health workforce. Thus there will be lack of personnel to deliver healthcare treatment to the population. If there are no people to be recruited it will affect the quality of care received because there are few people to ensure the system runs efficiently (Lee, et al. , 2014). Also, the health workforce is not equally distributed in Australia. Some areas have more healthcare practitioners in the hospitals while others have a deficit of them. This will result in individuals not getting similar quality healthcare thus it will make it seem that some people are being discriminated (Nykänen, &Karimaa, 2006). Also, there is growing concern about the safety and quality of healthservices found in Australia. There is a deficiency of policies that exist to control the quality of care given by healthcare facilities in the country. Hence, the services provided might not be the best of quality because they do not have policies to regulate them. The next issue with the system is that there is a high number of people admitted with conditions which could have been prevented with the right steps. The institutions tasked with managing and researching upcoming issues are slacking. Also, there is lack of good primary care and public interventions (Kovats, &Hajat, 2008).
Conclusion.
In conclusion, the Australian health system has been developed with a lot of factors in mind. These factors have influenced the design of the system and what functions it fulfills. It fulfills a lot of functions with the aim of providing the best healthcare possible to Australians. There is a whole mode of governance that manages the system ensuring it functions efficiently. However, it still faces various challenges while fulfilling its functions. Thus, more research needs to be done to find remedies to these issues. Once the remedies are implemented it will increase the efficiency of the whole Australian system.
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