Should Health Authorities in United Kingdom Use of Their Budget for Complementary Medicine - Assignment Example

Complementary Medicine in the UK Complementary Medicine funding by the UK government Executive summary United Kingdom is the second largest economy in Europe and the 5th national economy in terms of size in the world as per the nominal GDP. The economy is the 8th largest in the world as per the citizens’ purchasing power parity (Ernst, 2008). United Kingdom economy entails the economy of Northern Ireland, Wales, England and Scotland. United Kingdom has one of the most globalised world economies. In the year 2013, the economy was the 4th largest importer and exporter (Adams, 2013). The service market contributes to around 78% of the UK economy’s GDP. Health sector primarily deals with service providence and thus it has as well contributed to the economic growth of the United Kingdom. 2. Introduction Like in any other economy of a state, the United Kingdom allocates the health sector a portion of its resources. The State requires proper planning, budgeting and monitoring of then resources. The custodians of the health related resources should highly be monitored, and the best possible results put in place. For this reason, the government should conduct an extensive research on the status of the health sector, the needs and the challenges the State might be facing. Like in any other economy, health challenges have a great blow on a country’s economy (Bodeker, 2007). Presence of a default health environment in any country affects the human factor that is the heart of any economic, social and even political development. Inadequate resources to the sector lead to inefficient health services. The need for subsidies is pressurised by the fact that, health services are more of basic needs, and they are then most expensive services in any state. Thus, proper planning of all the strategies and steps to be taken in the management of health issues is essential (Ernst, 2008). The UK government has a great role in the services that are more of basic and in the management the resources allocated to the State’s health sector. 3. Conventional Medicine Traditional medicine is a medical training that is classic that is offered throughout a given county’s mainstream. The approach is a surgery and drugs to medicine. The approach largely excludes patient education, mind-body medicine, wellness, nutrition and other natural therapies. Conventional employ a system of organised medicine (Adams, 2013). Established Medicine is a collection of organisations that work together to promote conventional medicine. The organisations include medical societies, medical schools and learning centres, doctors, hospitals and pharmaceutical companies. The system utilizes formal education in the process of investing on the health services future personnel (Edwards, 2010). The system encourages the management of a hospital where the graduates on then medical background take their respective positions in serving the social world. Western medicine is a type of medicine that is frequent in the western countries UK included. The approach is primarily based on the western thinking philosophical foundations. The organization insists on the principle of that a body is a collection of its parts. The west people believe that, isolation of the parts during studies leads to the understanding as a whole. In the United Kingdom, the conventional healthcare is set as per the western model. The model is said to belong to evidence for treating and diagnosing diseases. The mainstream medicine advises that the pathological and physiologic phenomena are explained in compact concrete terms (Ernst, 2008). A stream of objective’ end results are the best practice. 4. Complementary and alternative medicine Complementary medicine is a healing product and method that work hand in hand with the traditional medicine. For example, cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy as well experiences acupuncture so as to manage any side effects caused by the chemo activities like vomiting and nausea. Alternative medicine differs as it is applied and used as the medication’s complement. The alternatives are as well utilized as traditional therapy substitutes. For instance, a cancer patient may choose to forego the chemotherapy that is recommended by the healthcare practitioner and instead use specific dietary changes to treat the infection. In most occasions, application of the traditional management technique most of the times possess some significant advantages (Bodeker, 2007). Most of the residents of the United Kingdom prefer the social use as proper health resource management is taken into consideration. Complementary medicine encourages the consideration of the social factors in life. Social composition is the primary determinant of the success of any given community or state. 4.1. Social factor United Kingdom being one of the largest economies in the world needs to consider all factors of a functional economy. Thus, the economy of the tools encourages takeovers and as the results in the move. The state as well encourages innovative workers and thus limiting the entry into various employment positions (Ernst, 2008). However, the factor should take into consideration the social practice that may result in the mutual benefits of the social practices. 4.2. Role of the UK government The state of the United Kingdom has the duty of determining medical approach to applying in dealing with the sector. Since the health sector is a very sensitive sector in an economy, the approach employed by the government must take into consideration both the legal and social aspects to boost its acceptability to the citizens. An acceptable technique encourages its societal application and improvement (Bodeker, 2007). The society will always embrace any tool of management that is as per the practices and traditions. In most cases, people apply the traditions of their communities in health matters. The UK government should look into the investment of a tool of health management that supports and puts the traditions of the people in place (Edwards, 2010). Thus, integration of traditions of the people, practices and health management facilitates the birth of an efficient and effective system. 4.3. Demerits of complementary medicine To the disadvantage, incorporation of the traditions in health management may cause health complications. The complications may later affect the human resource factor in administration in the United Kingdom adversely. The primary cause of the adverse effect is the UK citizens’ ignorance that is common to every sovereign state. The people will take advantage and totally assume then presence of the advanced well developed technological health services. Most will start taking medical care for themselves and the fellows. The practice may put the State at the risk of losing a relatively large number of its residents. Population decline is a threat to the overall economy of the UK (Adams, 2013). The occurrence as well affects the future of the State and thus limits the probability of boundary expansion. 5. Conclusion The State government can as well find a way of coming up with a hybrid health management tool. The management tool can be formed from the combination of the present health management for the best of the State and its residents. Viability of the health management plan depends on the mindset of the parties involved, management team, and the health department headers of the state and the opinion of the citizens as well. The application of the tool should thus be highly tested, evaluated and the result valued. The benefits of the hybrid technique should be weighed against the individual plan (Bodeker, 2007). If the advantages of the hybrid out-weigh the individual plan, then the method application takes place. However, the start, management and introduction of a new health management tool may term expensive for the State. Every State works to the minimization of expenses so as to off-load the citizens on the tax deductions and contribution. Thus, the paper advises the government on the employment and application of the complementary medicine. The practice encourages the utilisation of both the technological practices and the traditional methods of dealing with diseases. Traditional mode, of dealing with infections, promotes healthy living and soon the minimisation of health cost as only little resources are utilised health matters (Adams, 2013). The paper thus advises the UK government to use its budgets for complementary medicine. The practise has more benefits and as a result, there will result extensive medical plan and thus the high quality service delivery. Reference Adams, J. (2013). Primary health care and complementary and integrative medicine practice and research. New Jersey: Imperial College Press Bodeker, G. (2007). Traditional, complementary, and alternative medicine: Policy and public health perspectives. London: Imperial College Press. Edwards, L. (2010). Principles and practice of pharmaceutical medicine (3rd ed.). Oxford, UK: Wiley-Blackwell. Ernst, E. (2008). Healing, hype or harm?: A critical analysis of complementary or alternative medicine. Exeter, UK: Societas. Read More