Medical Fields in Germany - Term Paper Example

Medical fields in Germany Introduction Germany is a well developed European country and it has comprehensive public health packages to keep its population healthy. The country spends billions of Euros each year on its public healthcare sector. While analyzing the Germany’s medical field, it seems that few of the country’s healthcare needs go unmet. Saudi Arabia is a Middle East country and the nation’s rich oil reserves constitute its main source of revenues. Like Germany, Saudi Arabia also has a well developed healthcare network and the country better serves its citizens’ healthcare needs. This paper will analyze the quality of healthcare and medical field in Germany and compare the findings with those of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Health and medical field in Germany According to an observation, ‘Germany has a universal multi-player healthcare system’ comprising of two major types of health insurance including Law-enforced health insurance (sickness funds) and Private (DiPiero). In Germany, compulsory insurance is provided to those at below a certain income level and this package is offered through sickness funds. Provider compensation rates are determined after a series of negotiations among particular autonomously organized interest groups such as physicians’ associations. The sickness funds are aimed at promoting a wide range of coverage and hence it should not discriminate the membership on an actuarial basis. In addition, a small group of people in the country is covered by social welfare insurance. Germans who are above the set income level may choose sickness fund system or purchase private insurance. Data indicate that majority of the Germans opt the sickness fund system. Germany’s healthcare system is well known for its huge public sector spending. Germany spent its GDP’s 10.7% on healthcare in 2005. As per the the World Health Organization reports, the country’s healthcare was nearly 77% government financed and 23% privately financed as of 2004 healthcare data (WHO). The well developed healthcare system assisted Germany to become the world’s 13th ranked country in life expectancy (78 years for men). In addition, the country maintained a good infant mortality rate (4.7/1,000 live births) and 8th rank in the number of practicing physicians (Country profile: Germany). However, Germany’s healthcare spending has been diminishing since 2005. The country introduced copayments in 1980s with intent to eradicate the overutilization and control costs. Thoughtful and systematic healthcare activities aided the nation to decrease its average duration of hospital stay from 14 days to 9 days in recent years. However, drug costs in the country have increased by approximately 60% during the period 1991-2005. Emergency medical services is an improved pre-hospital emergency healthcare facility provided in Germany by individual cities and counties. This facility mainly offers ambulance service. Germans are offered three distinct types of healthcare benefits including accident insurance, health insurance, and long term care insurance. These health benefits are co-financed by employers and employees. The accident insurance is meant for workplace accidents and it is covered by the employer. In contrast, the long term care insurance is equally co-financed by the employer and the employee and it covers all situations in which an individual is not able to address his/her daily routine. Health insurance is subcategorized into public health insurance and private health insurance. Increasing medical treatment costs and changing demography raise some potential challenges to the both insurance systems. As of 2006 data, nearly 87.5% Germans were covered by the public health insurance whereas private insurance could cover only 12.5% of the German population. At the beginning of the 21st century, it was reported that the prevalence of heart disease, alcohol related disorders, and hernias among German males notably increased whereas women were mainly affected by pregnancy related issues, breast cancer, and heart failure. HIV infection still remains to be a challenging issue in the German healthcare. To illustrate, German healthcare authorities registered 1,164 new HIV infections during the first half of 2005 (Germany: society.). Widespread smoking adversely affects the country’s healthcare initiatives. According to a survey conducted in Germany in 2003, approximately 37% of men and 28% of women were smokers. Finally, prevalence of obesity and overweight has been drastically increasing in Germany for the last few years. A 2007 study indicates that Germany has the highest prevalence of overweight people as compared to other European countries. Medical errors also notably contribute to the country’s healthcare costs. A non-profit group study (as qtd in Diwan) estimated that preventable medical errors cause nearly 17,000 deaths in Germany every year. According to a report by the German Coalition for Patient Safety, medical treatment for both outpatient and inpatient care may make a patient ill. Frequent work shifts in hospitals make the organization of patient care a difficult task and consequently there may be interruptions in information flow. In short, higher rate of medical errors raises serious threats to German healthcare authorities. Despite such issues, Germany is currently one of the leading countries in the world in the area of medicine. According to the German Medical Council, the country’s healthcare sector has “more than 2,000 modern clinics, best educated physicians, experienced nursing staff, and diversified rehabilitation facilities”; and today, nearly 80,000 foreign patients are seeking German healthcare assistance annually (German Medical Council). Health and medical field in Saudi Arabia In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Ministry of Health (MOH) is the key government agency responsible for managing the country’s healthcare operations. The country has a well developed network of healthcare centers and it facilitates the nation’s primary healthcare services. The country’s government gives increased focus on the expansion of its health insurance coverage plans by raising more funds. Like German healthcare, Saudi Arabia’s healthcare sector is also mainly financed by the government. A Saudi Arabian resident will get free cost medical services at public and private hospitals if he/she follows the government’s health plan. In contrast, German healthcare sector does not offer free cost healthcare services to its citizens. Cooperative Health Insurance Council, an independent government body of Saudi Arabia, has approved 14 companies to provide healthcare services in the country. The country’s leading hospitals are heavily staffed by expatriates and they use high quality imported surgical and diagnostic equipments. It seems that the KSA follows the US healthcare culture to some extent. As compared to Germany, the KSA has a lower life expectancy level (75.4 years). In addition, Saudi Arabia’s infant mortality rate (13/1,000 live births) is nearly two times greater than that of Germany (The Telegraph). The Saudi Arabia has a well structured network of nearly 2,000 primary healthcare centers across the country. Over 200 hospitals are practicing a referral system by which healthcare services are being provided to all sectors of the society. The KSA’s healthcare spending as percentage of the total national budget has been mounting since the 1970s. Saudi Arabian healthcare has two practicing doctors per each 1000 population whereas it is 3.3/1,000 in case of Germany. In 2005, Saudi Arabia introduced compulsory medical insurance mainly to trim down the healthcare costs spent for foreign nationals. Unlike the German medical field, the KSA healthcare sector does not promote joint employer-employee contributions. In contrast, Saudi Arabia obliges employers to arrange insurance coverage facilities for their employees. Likewise, emergency evacuation packages are of considerable significance in Saudi Arabia despite the large number of high quality healthcare services. Drug costs are affordable in Saudi Arabia due to strict government regulations. However, the number of medical errors in Saudi Arabian hospitals has reached alarming levels over the last few years. Conclusion From the above discussion, it is clear that health and medical field in Germany is better than that of Saudi Arabia. Both Germany and KSA spend a notable portion of their revenues on healthcare. Medical errors raise potential challenges to both KSA and Germany. KSA could keep drug prices affordable in the country while the prices notably increased in Germany over the last three decades. Evidently, both the countries give specific focus on insurance coverage plans so as to minimize their healthcare costs. Works Cited Country profile Germany. Library of Congress – Federal Research Division, 2008. Web 11 May 2012 DiPiero, Albert. Universal problems and universal healthcare: 6 countries-6 systems. Healthcare, 2004. Web 11 May 2012 < http://www.willamette.edu/centers/publicpolicy/projects/oregonsfuture/PDFvol5no2/countries_healthcare.pdf > Diwan, Piyush. Preventable medical errors cause 17,000 deaths in Germany every year. TopNews.in. web 11 May 2012 Germany: society. Mongabay.com. Web 11 May 2012 German Medical Council. Medical Treatment in Germany. Web 11 May 2012 WHO. Core health indicators. Web 11 May 2012< Read More