It has been taken for granted for a very long time that health care in the United States is something of crucial importance for the government. Naturally, there are always some shortcomings, for example, some financial problems; however, it has been widely believed that the officials always treat these problems with all due respect, but unfortunately, this is not always so.
Another aspect of the problem that we are discussing is the attitude of medical workers to their duties. Overall, it is quite possible for us to say that a doctor is one of the most respected professions in many cultures because he or she is a person who serves (in the best sense of this word) to other people, who entrust him or her probably the most precious thing they have, their health. However, now, we can see many people who work in hospitals choose this profession not because they like it, but because it is profitable. Consequently, their attitude towards their patients can easily become callous or even superficial.
A famous American journalist, Julie Salamon, took a closer look at the health care service in the Untitled States. The author spent almost a year in Maimonides Medical Center, which is located in Brooklyn. It is worth mentioning that she was staying in a nonprofit medical institution; however, even their market relationships are dominant. Overall, it is possible to say that the book produces a shocking impression on the reader.
Perhaps, it would be better to give some examples. First, the author focuses attention on the fact that the doctors in this hospital are more concerned with the official site of their duties, file for instance with mortality rate, but such figures are just mere statistics because it is the health of a patient that really counts. One of the administrators gives a very eloquent summary of the way in which the health service system works “You treat a patient for pneumonia, and they go home and have a horrible course. They get readmitted, but the patients survive, so the mortality figures don’t look that bad”(Salamon, 123).
Moreover, the author says that non-profit hospitals are poorly financed. For example, it is a very difficult task for a nurse to find a free bed because the hospital is constantly overcrowded. The lobbies are teaming with patients round the clock, which makes the efficient work of the hospital practically impossible(Salamon, 99).
It should also be taken into consideration that physicians are always overworked. The question arises, how he or she is supposed to treat a patient if he or she is exhausted, naturally, the quality of his work will decrease, to say the least. Another danger is that he or she will gradually turn into a hack worker, then we are sure to expect a horrible disaster.
Naturally, there are many other aspects explored in the book “Hospital,” but these seem to be of the utmost importance, and definitely, they should be attended to.
Thus, having discussed the book “Hospital” written by Julie Salamon, it is possible for us to arrive at the conclusion that the health service in the United States leaves much to be desired. The first problem is that hospitals require better financing. However, the major problem is that there are many doctors who are more interested in statistics but not in the well-being of their patients.
Bibliography
Julie Salamon (2008). Hospital: Man, Woman, Birth, Death, Infinity, Plus Red Tape, Bad Behavior, Money, God and Diversity on Steroids. Palgrave.