Introduction
Improved population health, social protection, the gratification of citizens’ justifiable expectations, economic progress, and general medical insurance are all benefits of advanced care systems. There are problems in the care system because of its inability to help close the unreasonable health exclusion gap. This essay compares the medical services in Honduras and the United States. Unlike in the US, Honduras’ health sector problem can be attributed partly to poor governance, insufficient system management competence, and inflexible human resource administration.
Discussion
The medical staff in Honduras has 8 hours per day to care for up to 36 patients each, and a significant proportion of the personnel treat patients in the morning. As a result, health centers become effectively understaffed throughout the afternoons and on the weekends, when only emergencies are covered. The local human resources objective of 25 doctors per 10,000 residents is not met by any of the 18 participating departments (Madewell et al., 2021). The United States also provides inadequate healthcare to its citizens, attributable to a similar shortage of medical professionals. On average, a doctor’s day in the United States lasts around 10.5 hours, equivalent to a standard workday that ends at 5 p.m. However, due to the job’s demands, over half of all doctors put in an extra hour per day.
In Honduras, the elderly are not given the same level of assistance as they would in the United States, owing to a lack of funding and support services. Honduras’ overall health expenditures of 8.5% (as a proportion of GDP) are lower than the American average of 14.5% (Velloso et al., 2022). Most senior patients in Honduras do not get treatment for various health concerns because of missing medical appointments, a lack of documentation, and an inability to pay for treatment. On the contrary, Medicare and Medicaid are government-funded programs that offer healthcare to low-income and elderly Americans.
In Honduras, a family’s ability to afford medical treatment is influenced by socioeconomic class, location (rural or urban), and poverty level. Over 66% of Hondurans are poor, and 20% of those are living below the poverty line (Madewell et al., 2021). Compared to Honduras, the United States’ socioeconomic climate and availability of healthcare for the elderly have been greatly improved. Despite advancements, healthcare is far more difficult to obtain in rural areas in Honduras. Roughly 90% of Hondurans have access to health care through the country’s Ministry of Health (Madewell et al., 2021). However, those living outside the country’s major cities face greater challenges in obtaining quality medical attention. The culture of Honduras reflects the country’s multiethnic population, which includes Amerindians, Blacks, Mestizos, and Whites, as well as Latin American influences. This diverse population shapes all facets of society and enriches it with its special preferences.
There is little difference between the United States and Honduras regarding life expectancy or the effects of chronic illness. Life expectancy is 78 years in the United States and 75 years in Honduras. Despite severe challenges such as poverty and disease, Honduras has promising progress in its quality of life. Only 30.7% of Hondurans report having a chronic ailment, but about half of Americans (about 45%) do (Rahimi et al., 2021). Heart disease, stroke, and respiratory infections are among Honduras’ top causes of sudden death. In the United States, chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular disease, asthma, high blood pressure, and stroke rank high in terms of prevalence and overall healthcare costs.
Conclusion
The care system has flaws because it cannot help eliminate the unjust health gap. Poor leadership, inexperienced system managers, and rigid human resource policies have contributed to the healthcare industry’s woes. Due to a lack of resources and services, the elderly population in Honduras does not receive the same level of care as their American counterparts. Medical care costs in Honduras vary depending on a family’s socioeconomic status, where they live, and poverty level.
References
Madewell, Z. J., ChacĂłn-Fuentes, R., Jara, J., MejĂa-Santos, H., Molina, I. B., Alvis-Estrada, J. P., Ortiz, M. R., Coello-Licona, R., & Montejo, B. (2021). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of seasonal influenza vaccination in healthcare workers, Honduras. PloS One, 16(2), e0246379. Web.
Rahimi, A., Shabestari, A., Sadeh, M., Bidaki, R., Jamalimoghadamsiahkali, S., & Vahabi, Z. (2021). Frequency of healthcare-associated infections in the elderly patient hospitalized. Elderly Health Journal, 7(1), 26-31. Web.
Velloso, I. S. C., Caram, C. D. S., Almeida, D., Souza, M. J. S., Silva, M. H., & Galdino, C. S. (2022). Palliative care for the elderly in the healthcare system: A scoping review. Aquichan, 22(3), e2238. Web.