How would you describe the current health care system in the US (or country of your choice) to another professional?

How would you describe the current health care system in the US (or country of your choice) to another professional?

Healthcare System is “an organization that includes at least one hospital and at least one group of physicians that provides comprehensive care (including primary and specialty care) who are connected with each other and with the hospital through common ownership or joint management” quoting the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality from their 2016 definition. (“Defining Health Systems”, 2017).

My country of focus is Nigeria, ranking at one hundred and eighty-seventh position; according to the World Health Organization’s Ranking of the World’s Health Systems is only better than three other countries in the world.  (2018).

With a low average life expectancy rate at fifty-two point three years and high mortality rate for mothers and infant, Nigeria remains a low hanging fruit health care system achievement wise.

There are a few things that ensures healthcare systems run smoothly, for example, strict responsible regulations, cross sectoral collaboration, checks and balances amongst parties, governmental input, increased funding, benchmarking by major stakeholders of foreign successes, innovations, etcetera, which Nigeria lacks in spades.

The healthcare system in Nigeria also suffers greatly from insufficient number of professionals, according to earlier definition of healthcare system, “group of physicians that provides comprehensive care” aspect remain vital to existence of a system, but under-trained, under-funded and below required number is the norm in the country: the physician to patient ratio remains in the tens of thousands to one, outcome of which leans towards grossly inadequate care. Which has opened the industry to the prevalence of fake doctors and due to the lax monitoring bodies and relatively porous system entry, a lot goes unchecked.

What, if any, background in health care policy development/analysis do you have or seek? 

I am yet to be a part of policy development in healthcare system in Nigeria or any other country, but there are indications that from current and future knowledge attained from this M.B.A. In H.C.M. I will be in the thick of things, be it in Government, with providers, private and so on in Nigeria and beyond.

What is your interest related to your current/future workplace goals?

I plan to share accumulated knowledge of the other systems’ viable/good results that I attained from interning and class room information, make recommendations to fix the increasingly worsening state of health care in Nigeria and also partake in the correcting of identified issues in the system. My focus with be in health and tech, this is a veritable smorgasbord for collaborative effort in bringing healthcare to millions. The senate has been poised to pass several bills regulating and promoting healthcare services and such, but the enforcement is lacking and things fall through the cracks.

References 

“World Health Organization’s Ranking of the World’s Health Systems” (2018). WHO. Pp 130 Accessed at http://thepatientfactor.com/canadian-health-care-information/world-health-organizations-ranking-of-the-worlds-health-systems/

“Defining Health Systems”. (2017). Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/chsp/chsp-reports/resources-for-understanding-health-systems/defining-health-systems.html

“The Structure Of Health Care System In Nigeria” (2017). 

Eddings, I. (2017). Is Your Physician a Dodgy Doctor? Nigerians Can Now Find Out. International Center for Journalists. Retrieved from https://www.icfj.org/ka/blogs/your-physician-dodgy-doctor-nigerians-can-now-find-out