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The effects of medical affordability on its accessibility

“We have not had the courage as the people to take on the greed and corruption of the

healthcare industry” (Sanders, Bernard 2020) Americans have long battled the healthcare

adversities that have come their way as their country lacks a Universal healthcare coverage plan,

unlike many of the developed countries in the World. This has led to many healthcare reforms

and bills to be introduced in America such as the Affordable care act, and the proposition for

Medicare for all-a single payer healthcare system. These types of policies are unfavorable in

retaining prominence because of various disagreements regarding the government and citizens.

for the American citizenry, the Universal healthcare system of Europe is quixotic, and the

prototype of what the majority of the populace ought to be ideal. Through the means of this

research, it is to be demonstrated what reforms need to be made regarding healthcare that is

currently encompassing the entirety of Europe, and how its ambiguity is overlooking a

perspicuous and crucial conflict that is rooted systemically. For Americans, the European

healthcare system is epitomized to the extent that it is deemed impossible to emulate. However,
it

seems as if the equality in policies of healthcare are socially unattainable for many localities in

Europe. Many specific concerns and complications have arisen for the state of healthcare in

Europe during the sars-cov-2 pandemic, This left many wondering if the effectiveness or

accessibility of the affordable medical treatment in Europe is at all affected by the different
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societal makeup within the continent. It seems that individuals that are living in rural areas of

both Western and Eastern European countries are facing similar challenges despite their

countries respective economies, and their urban counterparts, which are surprisingly reporting

very high levels of appeasement from the healthcare that they are receiving. Inherently making it

seem that the urbanized quality of healthcare has still not extrapolated its way into the

countrysides of Europe. When viewing the healthcare system in Europe from a social

perspective, it's seemingly clear that the unvaried healthcare structure renders to provide for the

diverse populous in each respective country. Additionally, health ministries in Europe are

charged with responsibilities to look at all aspects of healthcare funding, health facilities, and

medical equipment and medicine. The politicians and members in these ministries are seemingly

deemed incompetent by their public. Viewing this problem from a political scope, many

commonalities can be deciphered that make the healthcare system appear corrupt. The notable

factor of this is what many of the European individuals fear about their healthcare system.

Moreover, there are disparities and flaws within the healthcare system of the European Union

that are inconspicuous to spectators and overlooked by researchers as well, so it should be

revealed what is actually the reality of the opulent healthcare system set forth in Europe. Many

articles published by different companies, directly discuss how unstable the health facilities and

the condition in said health facilities are rather harming to the patients. Bribery, corruption,

underpayment of hospital staff, shutdown of publicly aided health institutes, and lack of

equipment are all commonly seen in certain locations which are said to have been receiving
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equalized funding that is directly proportional to other localities in their country. The all so

sought after healthcare system of Europe, that is seen as the pinnacle of healthcare systems

throughout the world should be able to reform itself so other countries can follow suit. When

regarding the aforementioned speculation, if the contrasting population composition of Europe,

has any impact on its effectiveness or accessibility, It is inherently clear that the varying

demographic of the whole European Union, serves as a hindrance to the effectiveness of the

homogenous Universal Healthcare system that fails to efficiently yield adequate healthcare for

the entirety of their population, leaving room for corruption, and lack of medical diversity.

In the twenty-first century modern day society, One of the things that are similar in

Europe and the rest of the World, is the rural-urban disparities present economically, socially,

and in this case medically as well. The European Healthcare which is regarded as the epitome of

what all countries should aspire to be like. However, it has been aberrant that the European

healthcare system is skewed against the rural localities of Europe. The social construct of Europe

is deeply affected by this. In an article by the Bloomberg Businessweek, Henry Meyer,a senior

economic and government reporter for bloomberg magazines, bloomberg news, and the

independent, records the circumstances sixty year old Ukranian surgeon - Yury Korovin had

faced. Korovin shares his experience about how he had individually been affected by the

healthcare cuts made by Russian leader Vladmir Putin. Korovin was the single surgeon in the

hospital that spanned the entire town of Okulovka that harbors over ten thousand inhabitants. He

recalls how his hospital institute had four other doctors besides him. However, they all left
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because of underpayment and unbearable exploits. One time Korovin states that he had to cut

open a patient's stomach because of how much they had bled and the Okulovka hospital lacked

proper endoscopic equipment to conduct the required treatment. (Meyers, 2019) The experience

of Korovin directly correlates to the repeating disparities seen in many other Eastern European

countries, where the makeup is quite similar to that of Ukraine. One or two major cities that

serve as economic hotspots and the rest of the Country is in poverty and underfunded by their

federal government. In this part of Ukraine, it is so extreme to the point that hospital staff are

quitting. The hospital isn't even thoroughly equipped with sanitation items or equipment used

for minor treatments. Another instance of social disparities seen interregionally, within the

European healthcare system is one in Romania. In an article published by The Lancet and written

by journalist Ed Holt, who has previously been published in AllAfrica, The Wire, Inter press

service, and Rebellion; talks about protests that have been taking place throughout Romania, due

to the decision of the Romanian health ministry to conduct a transferral of power, in which

private investors take over as insurers. Systemically, that would equate the Romanian healthcare

industry to be exploited for economic gain. Apparently, this was a decision taken after numerous

reports of corruption from the Romanian Countryside, away from the urbanized regions. One of

These reports was from Georgeta Dosanu, a native from Lasi, Northern Romania. Dosanu was

threatened to have her foot amputated for a curable infection, if she did not hand over two

hundred Euros to the doctors at her local hospital. (Holt, 2012)This is completely bizarre to think

as the European healthcare system is supposed to be structured in a way that consumers don’t

have to pay heavily out of pocket. This explicitly illustrates how the lack of regulation is present

in the Romanian healthcare system, and in turn that has led to horrific levels of corruption in
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Romania. So, it is quite unclear if this is directly a result of what is happening in the government

and corruption in the health ministries or specifically in the hospitals and health facilities.

However, it is to be noted that none of the complaints of corruption pointed out in both of the

articles are from the urban parts of Romania or Ukraine. Which leads many to believe that there

is an internal gap of disparities present between the rural and urban localities throughout Europe.

One of the many commonalities that are seen throughout organizations

and government sectors that are federally funded, is the corruption within the governing political

system. In terms of healthcare in Europe, the governing sector would be health ministries that are

charged with resolving complications that have arisen regarding health institutes and overall

encompassing all problems concerning healthcare and medicine. However, in certain Eastern

European countries, it is abundantly clear that different forms of corruption are taking place

within the political threshold of the health ministry. Whether it be directly taking cuts from the

healthcare budget or completely reforming a healthcare system for capitalist gains, All these

issues have been distinguishingly clear and certain instances regarding them have been recorded.

In an article published by The Lancet, written by journalist Ed Holt - who has notably covered

many controversial topics - discusses the mass protests that took place in Romania after the

decision that healthcare would be shifted towards private investors. Enabling private investors to

fund the Universal healthcare system in Romania would turn public vulnerability into an

economic gain. In the Lancet interview, Vasile Barbu-head of the patient’s protection association

said “​The draft law did not solve the chronic underfunding of the health system. It was based on
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exactly the same amount of funding as at present. Moving the money from state-controlled hands

to private hands, even if in good faith, will still not provide enough funds for an efficient health

system​.”(Holt, 2012) What Barbu disclosed was that the draft law was trying to get passed just to

get the healthcare system of Romania out of the hands of the Country’s government and passed

onto private investors so conveniently, people had someone other than their own government to

blame for the lack of funding in the healthcare system and the corruption in it. This would affect

the legislative aspect of the Romanian healthcare system once again, because proven the extent

the Romanian government is trying to go through to downplay their actions, just so they don’t

have to deal with their ailing healthcare system and already upset, frustrated citizens. Similarly,

this topic has also been discussed in another Eastern European country; Poland. In an article by

Politico Europe, Jo Harper, a writer and journalist who is mainly based in Warsaw, and has been

featured in BBC and Deutsche Welle along with many other smaller Polish publications-

deliberates over how Poland, a prominent right-wing country, wants to adapt to similar ideals to

Universal healthcare that is many times deemed socialists and progressive. Konstanty Radziwill,

a Polish health minister, talks about how the Polish transition from a pay out-of-pocket

healthcare system to an universal healthcare system would not mean that Poland is transitioning

into a socialist economy and following socialism. He then goes on to elaborate and say that the

economy and healthcare should not be used synonymously as one is for human development

while the other is more for personal gain and profit. (Harper, 2016) Demonstrating that the
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previous healthcare system in Poland was not in favor of the people and the new Polish

government wants to amend that. In every country the economy and the medical world should

not co-exist dimensionally because healthcare is a right for everyone and should not get

exploited for financial gain.

Works Cited

Sanders, Bernard. “Enough is enough! We’ve been talking about Universal health care for 100

years.” Presidential Town hall, 04 Jan. 2020, ​Manchester, New Hampshire​.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i8VqVHORBNQ accessed 01 Dec. 2020.

Meyers , Henry, and Ilya Arkhipov.​ ​ “Putin’s Health-Care Cuts Spark Protests in Russian

Heartland.” ​Bloomberg.com,​ Bloomberg Businessweek, 07 May 2019, 1:43 PM EDT,

www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-05-07/putin-s-health-care-cuts-spark-protests-i

n-russian-heartland. accessed 18 Nov. 2020. .

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Holt, Ed.​ “​ Romania Redrafts Health-Care Law after Violent Protests.” ​Lancet (London,

England),​ vol. 379, no. 9815, 11 Feb. 2012,

www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60214-1/fulltext. accessed

16 Nov. 2020.

Kurani, Nisha.​ ​ “How Does the Quality of the U.S. Healthcare System Compare to Other

Countries?” ​Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker,​ Peterson-Kaiser Family Foundation,

20 Aug. 2020,

www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/quality-u-s-healthcare-system-compare-co

untries/. accessed 06 Nov. 2020.

Natsis, Yannis.“Survey on the Pharmaceutical Strategy - Timely Patient Access to Affordable

Medicines.” ​European Public Health Alliance ,​ Belgium , 15 Sept. 2020, pp. 1–20 ,

epha.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/ec-consultation-epha-response.pdf. accessed 2

Nov. 2020.

STADA Arzneimittel pharmaceutical company.​ “​ STADA Health Report 2020.” ​STADA,​

STADA Arzneimittel Pharmaceutical Company. , 17 June 2020,

https://www.stada.com/media/5774/stada_healthreport2020_en.pdf. accessed 05 Nov.

2020.

Harper, Jo.​ ​ “Polish Right Goes Left on Health.” ​POLITICO,​ POLITICO, 18 Feb. 2016,

www.politico.eu/article/poland-looks-west-on-health-care-revamp-public-hospitals-refor

m-pis-konstanty-radziwill/. accessed 05 Nov. 2020.

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