Why Healthcare should be a Human Right/Free
Health is a value asset to human beings owing to the fact that without health we cannot exist. As Mahatma Gandhi states “It is health that is real wealth not pieces of gold and silver Rao, 26).” However, we live in a society where healthcare is purchased, health and wellbeing need therefore be a priority and a human right for all. Everybody should have access to free medical care regardless of their age, colour, or gender. Health should come first thus it should be free for all. Every individual anywhere should access healthcare without suffering monetary hardships.
Nobody should be bankrupt once they get sick since sickness affects work output. In a recent research, absence from work leads to losses of up to £18M in the United Kingdom (Burgess, n.p). In addition, chances of losing a job while sick are very high owing to the fact that one may not be able to offer manpower while at the hospital. In the event that the patient does not have a medical cover then the medical bill will be on the patient. For instance if a person is bedridden for six months, the employer will most likely lay off the person, a move which will require the patient to offset the bills with his or her savings. Given that the cost of medical care is very high, it becomes impossible for the patient to fully cater for the bill, this consequently leads to bankruptcy. Once the patient lives the hospital it becomes difficult to adapt without money and a job. In the end this only leads to evil acts within the society such as crime. Healthcare should consequential be free as they can also help to stop the world’s worst diseases.
The world’s worst diseases can only be stopped if everybody will have access to proper healthcare. The world’s worst diseases such as cancer, HIV/AIDS, and tuberculosis can be controlled through providing free medical care to the sick. In third world countries, most patients succumb to these diseases for the reason that they lack funds to cater for their medical needs. Cancer if detected in its early stages can be treated, however, in situations where healthcare is not free, cancer can only be detected its late stage making it impossible for the patient to survive. In 2019, Africa recorded half a million cancer related deaths, for the reason that they had not been detected earlier. Similarly, in 2014, cancer patients paid a total of $4 billion for cancer treatment in the US this money did not come from medical cover but from their own pockets (Cancer Action Network, n.d). This basically means the cost of medical care is very high hence the poor are at the risk of losing their lives. Deaths from such diseases should therefore be expected to be on the rise if healthcare will not be considered a human right. Likewise high medical care costs could only mean lack of access to medical care, which in turn positions those suffering from diseases such as cancer at the risk losing their lives.
Health has the ability to change the economy and the nation at large because every coin capitalised in health can produce thrice the invested amount (Burgess, n.p). For example, money that most people spend on healthcare can be transferred into other areas, such as paying for school fees, starting a business, or saving for future use. Educating one’s children is significant in the sense that in the fast changing world, it is necessary to be educating for one to earn a good job in future. Furthermore, while at school children are protected from evil vices such as drug abuse and crime. Secondly, starting a business is important for the economy and the state, because once a person starts a business, there is a possibility of job creation, which eventually leads to economic growth. In addition, job creation reduces crime rates within the county. Lastly saving money for future use is necessary, as nobody can predict the future, thus it is good to have money for future use in case things go wrong in the near future. In deed if healthcare is free then a country’s economy can be at its peak, and minor issues within the country will also be dealt with.
Health is a right and not pleasure it is necessary for everybody to be healthy in order for everything to go well. A country cannot survive with a population of sick people thus health is necessary for all. Everyone is supposed to access healthcare regardless of their financial status and this is so because each and every individual positively affects the growth of the economy when healthy (Burgess, n.p). However, if a person is sick, then the services offered by the person to the society cannot be rendered. For example, if a teacher teaching a class of 100 students gets sick and is unable to access medical care, the students will not learn because the teacher is sick. Judging from the impact of the services offered by the teacher, it is not significant for such a person to be absent from work, since most people depend on the individual. Health is basically a right, since in order for all individuals to carry on with daily activities, it is necessary for them to be healthy. Besides, all employers cannot permit sick employees to work, due to the fact that they need to be treated for them to work.
Right to healthcare promotes entrepreneurship, which in turn leads to the creation of job opportunities and economic growth. In a study conducted in 2014, 6.1% of those looking for jobs started their own businesses in the U.S after the introduction of Obamacare (Schimmel, 66). In addition, this translated to an increase in job creation and a decrease in criminal activities in the country. Correspondingly, the private sector also experienced a growth, with the employers being able to save enough money to start multiple businesses in the country. Growth in the private sector also leads to creation of more job opportunities, thus relieving job seekers the pain of looking for jobs. The country also experienced an economic growth which is positive for the general wellbeing for the country. Making medical care free is necessary for relieving employers the burden of paying for medical cover for their employees while at same time catering for other expenses. The burden of paying for medical bills tends to discourage most people from investing due to the fear of making less profits. It is therefore necessary for the healthcare to be considered as a human right and free for everyone in a bid to encourage productivity in the world.
Work Cited
Cancer Action Network. The Costs of Cancer Addressing Patient Costs. American Cancer Society. (N.d). retrieved from: https://www.fightcancer.org/sites/default/files/Costs%20of%20Cancer%20-%20Final%20Web.pdf
Burgess, Emily. 5 Reasons Everyone Must Have Universal Health Coverage. Global Citizen. Dec 12, 2014. Retrieved from. https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/5-reasons-we-all-must-have-universal-health-covera/
Schimmel, Noam. Presidential Healthcare Reform Rhetoric: Continuity, Change Et Contested Values from Truman to Obama. , 2016. Internet resource.
Rao, C. B. India’s Economic Resurgence: A Modified Paradigm for a Welfare State. Notionpress.com. 2013. Internet Resource.
