Allocation Issues in Healthcare - Dissertation Example

When resources are limited and demand is very high, the supply of resources often becomes a major problem. In order to sort out this problem, it is important to identify the nature of resources. When resources are considered as social goods, allocation may or may not proceed on the basis of the competition by producing the greater amount of goods for a large number of people in the social environment. On the other hand, when resources are assumed as commodities, economic considerations play an important role in deciding the allocation of resources.

At the micro-level, the issue can be addressed by the ability to pay for the resources while at the macro level, the issue is addressed by analyzing the economic structure, healthcare policies, and survival of the social and economic structure that is engaged in the production and distribution of resources.Healthcare resources when understood in terms of materials and human terms are always limited. It needs to be understood that healthcare resources are delivered by public and private organizations and these organizations often face problems pertaining to the availability of healthcare professionals.

In healthcare industries, not everyone can become a professional and thus the supply of human resources is always going to be limited. Moreover, the approach and attitude of human resources also matter in terms of dealing with allocation issues in healthcare. The research will try to investigate the allocation issue in healthcare by analyzing and underpinning the QALY system based on utilitarianism, distributive justice, and the role of British Laws pertaining to the healthcare allocation issues.

All these elements have been discussed in three chapters stating the overall advantages and disadvantages of the current healthcare practices and systems in the United Kingdom. The researcher has also tried to identify the best possible method to deal with health care allocation issues in a critical and illustrative manner to support the research aim. The Quality Adjusted Life Year (QALY) is a measurement tool that analyses and assesses the quality and quantity of life. It is used to assess the value for money of a medical intervention being proposed and implemented.