Health system facing challenges

INVESTMENT in health is not only a desirable, but also an essential priority for most societies.
However, our health systems face tough and complex challenges, in part derived from new pressures, such as ageing population, growing prevalence of chronic illnesses including the procurement and distribution of medical supplies.
World Health reports have always pointed out three fundamental objectives of health systems, namely improving the health of the populations they serve, responding to people’s expectations, and providing financial protection against costs due to illness.
PNG’s healthcare system is outlined in the National Health Plan 2011-20, which places an emphasis on the provision of basic care for the country’s poor and rural population. The policy is to ensure that healthcare is free or break seven with the intention of making it affordable to everyone.
For next year, the Health sector has been allocated K1.553.1 billion in the 2019 Budget.
This represents an increase of K47.2 million from the 2018 allocation.
The health budget, however, sees a cut in the medical supplies procurement and distribution processes from K266.1 million in 2018 down to K249.8 million for 2019. That is a cut of K16.3 million.
Healthcare is an essential human need and as such it composes part of the public debate and policy as to how best it can be provided.
The implementation of the free healthcare policy was supposed to have been made available right throughout the country more efficiently and effectively.
However, the availability of the healthcare services in the country has been negated by a number of factors including the lack of specialist doctors and equipment, high cost of receiving certain types of healthcare services like tumour operations, poor procurement process and lack of stock and capacity.
When the above factors are apparently affecting the delivery of the healthcare services in the country, it is indeed unrealistic and appalling to divulge into the continuous media rhetoric that the so-called free healthcare policy is working in the country.
For sure it is not working as shown by the common process for almost all healthcare facilities throughout the country to ration medical drugs and aids and to prescribe medications and then turn patients away to private pharmacies.
Much of the work needs to be undertaken to providing policymakers with the evidence they need to promote more value for money in the health sector, while ensuring universal access, equity and raising quality of care.
A basic message has emerged: Investments in health and the design of health financing policies should be addressed in terms of the interaction between health and the economy.
Health performance and economic performance are interlinked.
Just as growth, income, investment and employment are a function of the performance and quality of the economic system, its regulatory frameworks, trade policies, social capital and labour markets, etc, so health conditions (mortality, morbidity, disability) depend not just on standards of living, but on the actual performance of health systems themselves.
Policy choices cannot be taken lightly.
Health systems need financing and investment to improve their performance.
The criticisms are not levelled at the concept of providing free health services but the consequences of implementing the policy in the context of a poorly functioning health system.
We have learned a lot, though there is more to discover.