And yes with all that good stuff you talk about in the common wealth, you will still have to get on the waiting list to get specialist treatment, while all I need to do is look up one,
People sometimes overlook this when making comparisons. In the USA if you need to (or even merely want to) see a specialist, you simply find one (Google, Yellow Pages, etc.) you think you might like, call or send email, and then off you go. That's not possible in places like the UK: there the NHS system used to claim that they would guarantee one within 18 weeks, but that hasn't worked and all it's done is get people extremely pissed off at the long waiting times. It looks like the government will now scrap any attempt at a guarantee and simply say "you get to see one when you get to see one".
I also note that there are some interesting claims being made for the Australian healthcare system. One of them is that, beyond basic taxes, everything is free for all and that doctors there (unlike greedy Americans) must charge a fixed fee. On that:
* Australian doctors can, and quite a few do, charge whatever fee they like. Medicare will cover only the "schedule fee", and it is up to the patient or insurance company to pay the rest.
* The Australian system actually forces many people---and deliberately so---so buy private health insurance, amidst this claimed cornucopia of freebies. This is done via something called the Medicare Levy Surcharge. The government basically says "we think you make enough to afford private insurance, so if you don't get it we'll tax you some more". People look at the tax and the insurance rates, and it's called an offer one can't refuse.
Oh, the Aborigines are simply screwed, no matter what. None of the above, or anything else applies to them. Apparently.
Moonki
I think the common wealth system is good in the sense that it allows medicine to be practiced at the primary, preventative level. Most people are required to have at least a primary care MD who follows them throughout, tracks progress, makes changes as they go.
This is supposed to ensure the most common chronic illnesses such as hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, asthma etc, that are so rampant in other countries like the US, are controlled, or reduced if not eliminated all together. This overall is an excellent strategy of keeping the society healthy, and reducing unnecessary costs. It also keeps people out of hospitals. Children get all their required immunizations and followed by the clinician. If they could achieve that in its entirety, then there wouldn't be as much need for specialist care. In that sense it is actually and excellent system.
Now apply this to Kenya....if the government could ensure that the basics such as childhood vaccinations for pneumonia, cholera, typhoid (not sure if these even exist) etc are mandatory, infant and child mortalities could be significantly reduced. If those local dispensaries were functioning like they did, when we were growing up, the hospitals would be empty....this is where the government needed to focus their efforts on, revamp local clinics and staff them with competent people. They could use clinical officers for most of the routine needs of the society....that in itself will ease the burden on the MD's.
