Comparison of Indian and Chinese Health Systems - Essay Example

A number of Westerners and Europeans come to India if they want to have surgery done, as it costs them less than in their own countries. Dr. Devi Shetty, a well-known surgeon in India, has been trying hard to make these surgeries and other expensive operations, cheaper and available to the mass population, a large number of which lives under the poverty line. He has done a lot of progress and the doors of his private hospital are open to anyone who walks in. But sadly, this seems to be an exception amongst India’s health system, which has overall failed to provide satisfactory health facilities to the masses.

This is mostly, because of the lack of will from the government officials and the lack of resources in the country, to provide health benefits to such a large population. The health system in China, though better than India in most aspects, is still not up to the mark. Provincial hospitals in China are mostly clean, with emphasis laid to hygiene and other features. They are not crowded and it is easy for doctors to attend patients. Prices of each visit to a physician are printed in the hospital lobby so that it is easier for the patients.

Besides this, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), seems to be still in use by the doctors and is regularly prescribed to patients. But it has been reported that the public health system in China is much worse than it used to be. The doctors are not paid enough, and their income has been restricted to a few sources. Unfortunately, improving the system is not in their hands and has to be dealt with by the authorities. It is also common in China, that the patients have difficulty trusting their doctors and thus limit interaction with them.

This contradictory to what the situation was in China before. The rural population enjoyed health benefits and free health care, while the urban population could afford private hospitals. At that time, China’s health system was marked as an example for all other countries.