Question

Many communist or socialist countries have a department that addresses public health as well as the health care of their citizens. Research one of these programs, and compare it to programs in countries that do not follow communism or socialism. Discuss the upsides and downsides to each program.

Answer 1

Communist or socialist polices always propagates the need to fulfill the basic needs of the people in all period of time. The basic principle of communist or socialistic ideas are used by most of all the countries in order to implement the plan of action in the welfare programs in the fields like Education, Health, Employment and other social development activities. Let us discuss the health care initiatives of the Canadian country with the help of communist and socialist influential factors. Canada Health Care Act of 1984 implemented as the base plan of action which favors all the people in its own country. The Canada spends nearly $242 billion for the health care benefits. Health Card is provided to the economically weaker sections of the people who can avail the card with the same level of treatment given in both private and public hospital. Also health program of Canada also give some provision for the patients undergoing cancer treatments and other critical diseases.

In the Canada, 13% of the hospitals are run by the private management. The unfavorable factor is here is that socialist idea of equal treatment for all the patients fails here when the modern treatments are not given by the public hospital because of more cost. But in the private hospital it is possible to have critical treatments with heavy medical charge of fees. So the people of uninsured are not able to afford the fees in the private hospital. This can be proved as downsides of the Canada Health Care Act of 1984 scheme of not bridging the gap between the costly treatment and the need of the poor patients.

On the other side, the need of non-socialist country like Cuba follow the free market economy in which very less interference of the government schemes are involved. Health care system favors only when the rich people who can afford the medical fees. But the less economic dependent people are very not able to afford the high fees for all types of treatment. But on the same side, private hospitals in Cuba earns more income thorough costly medical treatment. It failed in socialism form of thoughts.