Introduction
Health can be defined as the state of complete well being of an individual. Medical facilities such as hospitals, equipments and personnel are necessary to help people solve problems of occurrences such as infections by diseases and injuries. Health services are provided by both the government and private investors in the economy. This paper seeks to discuss challenges for assuring a nation’s health. The paper will look into the assurance of a nation’s health together with challenges that faces the assurance of this health in the United States.
Assurance of health
Assurance of health covers the commitment to provision of health services to people. This undertaking includes ensuring that health services are available to people in good quality and quality. Elements of qualitative health assurance include competence in personnel that is used in the provision of the services. Competence is defined to include “skills, capability and actual performance of health providers, managers, and support staff” (Brown et al., n.d). Availability of competent personalities in the provision of health services is critical in the sense that the profession does not give any room for trials. Any simple mistake by a health officer can lead to death. Availability of the services by people in terms of distance and time is also a considered factor in the provision of the services. Effectiveness, efficiency and safety of services offered in health facilities are also determinants in the provision of health services.
Challenges for assuring the nation’s health
Provisions of health facilities in the United States, like any other developed country, are faced with a number of challenges. One of the significant challenges that the American health sector is facing is shortage of medical personnel. The shortage in healthcare personnel in the country is further identified to be increasing in a manner that a medical crisis may be realized in future if no corrective measures are taken. The shortage in personnel has been caused by a number of factors such as increasing demand for nurses and other skilled personalities in the field that has been coupled by a decreased supply.
The supply of the personnel has been hampered by the reduced number of enrolments into the profession as well as the American population ageing factor. Another challenge that faces the provision of medical services to the country’s population is the negative changes that have been realized in the sector. The field which was formerly well funded has been transformed to the contrary. The current healthcare sector, contrary to its former state, is faced with financial limitations that have led to minimization of expenditures as well as the operations of health facilities. This in return poses limitations to the services that can be offered in these facilities (AACN, 2002).
Another challenge to ensuring provision of health services to the nation’s population is the increased number of people who do not have insurance cover. This number is noted to be on the rise among retirees, unemployed and a good percentage of self employed Americans. These uninsured people fail to even go to health facilities due to high costs involved. They therefore do not get the services (Sultz and Young, 2009).
Conclusion
Assurance of the nation’s health involves provisions of efficient health services to its citizens. The United States, however developed, is still faced with a number of challenges in this service provision.
References
AACN. (2002). Hallmarks of the professional nursing practice environment. Web.
Brown et al. (n.d.). Quality assurance of health care in developing country. 2011. Web.
Sultz, A and Young, M. (2009). Health care USA: understanding its organization and delivery. New York, NY: Jones & Bartlett Learning.