Hello old kid
thanks for the article . I am. Not surprised that in 13 years there has been little progress or improvement . Healthcare is always underfunded and rarely meets current population needs let alone pandemic demands . As usual it takes a disaster for planning to come to the fore .
The global ventilator shortfall is very concerning . It is such a specialised and very expensive piece of lifesaving equipment that has to adhere to strict manufacturing and testing protocols . In addition to standard ventilators there are also portable transport ventilators ., unsure what the cost or logistics of using those would be .. but they are scarce and most hospitals have only a small supply .
Not sure if departments are considering sharing a ventilator between more than one patient .. there are ways for this to be done but the safety And logistics of doing so has. Not been determined .
The other matter is the use and care of a ventilated patient . It is a highly skilled job that is much more than attaching someone to a breathing machine . Provision of more ventilators is only half of the deficit problem .
The timeframe needed to manufacture and test ventilators in addition to training staff (and availability) represents a colossal problem . I am sure all is being done that can realistically be done . Fingers crossed solutions are on the horizon . (I did see China are ramping up the manufacture of ventilators for the rest of the world ... I am sure their economy will benefit tenfold if they can successfully sell and export globally )
Health care under funded? You got to be kidding, has more to do with how they spend their money. I can take my pet to the vet and they can run a full blood test for about $120 and find out many different things without the pet saying a thing, go to your doctor and it cost thousands and they have to send you to see someone else for each problem they detect mostly trying to sell you drugs that you don't really need. I see plenty of new hospitals and clinics going up and the price of medical care is outrageous but because of Medicare and insurance they charge whatever they want because the customer isn't directly paying for it or they need it and have no other choice. I looked up the price of ventilators and it said from $5k to $50k. The $2.2 trillion package the government just passed is over $6000 for each person in the United States so if you figure an average ventilator at $24k they could buy one for every four people in the United States. Also consider all the people that have portable oxygen supplies. The biggest drawback is government regulation and putting money into the wrong hands, there are many people who could contribute to helping people but between the regulations and lawsuit it won't happen.
hi dust
clearly you are not from New Zealand
I do not know which country you live in or the healthcare situation there.
In my country we have a free. Public health system (and also a private health system catering to those with private health insurance ) our public system though free is underfunded and fraught with health inequalities . (This is not just a recent occurrence it has been this way for decades). Elective surgeries are prioritised according to urgency using a rating system . This can mean those on the waiting list for surgery will in many cases end up further down the priority scale as more urgent cases present ..It is a system based on capacity and demand . A system that has never been funded to meet the ever increasing needs of an ageing population with increasing morbidities . A system that has failed to address staffing shortages or enable its workforce to flourish . The underfunding affects all aspects of healthcare but even In That there are substantial inequalities ...a mental health system that continues to struggle , placing vulnerable populations at risk .., family health with increasing violence and poverty ... Maori and pacific health suffering health inequalities . That is only touching The surface .
A recent NZ report in 2019 ...estimates there are potentially 430,000 children and adults with an unmet need for hospital care.
Ministry of health data shows more than 30,000 patients a year are rejected for hospital treatment, despite being assessed by a medical specialist as needing it. These patients are turned away because the hospital has insufficient capacity. Instead they are referred back to the general practitioner
for monitoring. They may receive treatment later but only when their condition has deteriorated sufficiently. A further 14,000 patients assessed by hospital specialists are sent back to their GP because
they have insufficient information about the patient. And another 1,200 patients are deemed “not eligible” for treatment. But these are incomplete figures as there are gaps in data from some DHBs; GPs may be reluctant to refer patients due to the high threshold of acceptance for treatment; and many people, especially the poor and Māori and Pasifica, for various reasons cannot access GP services in the first place. Nor is there any information on how long patients who are deemed not unwell enough for treatment remain in limbo.”
Link to full report if you are Interested
http://www.asms.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/12671-Hospitals-on-the-Edge-WEB.pdf
As for vets . I own two dogs . I can honestly say the cost to treat them is out of reach for many . With animal health they cannot tell you what is wrong .. frequently scans and diagnostic imaging are required just to rule something out ., let alone give a diagnosis . You have been lucky if just a straight forward blood test leads to a diagnosis and I hope that is always the case . Veterinary care can be costly depending on the healthcare matter .. especially surgical procedures . Sadly Many pets are euthanised when that cost becomes prohibitive .
It's absolutely essential for the future oncoming tribulations on the horizon.
