Health Care Issues in Ireland Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Health Care Issues in Ireland - Research Paper Example Firstly, there is a large gap between the quality of services for the private health owners and the public health coverage. Secondly, due to the two tiered health care system there are a lot of issues with the medical practitioners as they discriminate between those who pay for health care and those who don`t. Thirdly, Ireland also has a lot of cultural issues with health care which needs to be addressed with some serious consideration. Ireland ranks 22nd on the health care ranking for the developed world, where only US lies behind this state in this context1. This reflects the widespread difference between the quality of coverage provided by the public health care and the private health care. This is indicative of the basic flaw in the system, where there are separate health packages for those who belong to the lower income group and those who fall high in the average income spectrum. In other words, Ireland follows the system where a medical card is issued to those who belong to a lower income group which makes them eligible for a free health care service (Noan & Nolan 2004). However, those who don`t need welfare fund to run their homes, and can afford to pay for health care are required to pay a fees to be eligible for the health care process. This system creates various issues for the entire health care structure operational in Ireland. Firstly, those who avail the free services via their medical cards have to go through extended waiting lines to get themselves checked. In the peak season, for instance when the winter flu breaks, there are cases when people have to wait for three consecutive days for their turn. The quality of service in the public hospitals is so pathetic that the emergency wards, even the lobbies of crowded with patient beds (Noan & Nolan 2004). Though prescriptions are also free for medical card owners, but the quality is quite low. At the same time, those who opt for the private health care are better off as they get treated on the spot and quality services are availed by these patients who have purchased a health care or pay the required fees for the medical checkups2. Secondly, other issues also related with the two tiered system prevalent in Ireland for instance the issue with the medical practitioners discriminating against the patients who avail the medical card for free services. Basically, the flaw lies in the way health care functions in Ireland. Those who are covered under a health care plan are treated in the same public hospitals where other citizens, even those with the medical cards are treated. The system would have worked fine if the doctors were to be paid the same amount of salary by the government regardless of the types of patients they`re dealing with. In fact, it`s the other way round i.e. the medical practitioners are being paid their due amount of salary by the government to treat the patients with the medical cards (Noan & Nolan 2004). However, when it comes to the treatment of those who ar en’t relying on the medical card, for their treatment the practitioners are paid on a fee per service basis. This above system mentioned above where practitioners are paid a higher amount for dealing with the private health care patients is the root cause of the health care issues prevailing in Ireland. The practitioners take it more like a business as they have a higher self interest in treating the