[afro-nets] Markets for Healthcare: the unending debate (4)

[Tarry Asoka <carenet2020@yahoo.co.uk>]

Markets for Healthcare: the unending debate (4)
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Hi Jeff,

I know everyone will flag the market failures in healthcare as I
had already noted in my submission. Can we really trust public
officials more than we can trust the private sector to deliver a
service that is equitable and efficient?

In countries such as Nigeria where you find a 'pay as go' situa-
tion in virtually everything, the poor people are already spend-
ing over 30% of disposable household income on health - mainly
on medicines of dubious quality - how best can you ensure value
for money other than make them effective consumers. The issue is
not much about the poor accessing healthcare, but how poor peo-
ple pay for health care. May be you can let us know how well the
'school vouchers' in the US have helped to getting schools to
provide better education service.

The market in Healthcare is not limited to access to healthcare,
it involves other inputs as well. When there are more Ghanaian
Doctors in California than the whole of Ghana - what does that
tell you?

We should be more concerned about how the market for healthcare
works better for all not only the poor. It may interest you that
the group that is squeezed in this debate of helping the poor
are the so-called middle classes that have to stick to punishing
jobs because of their health benefits.

Markets for healthcare is about choice, and once that choice is
not there, then I can not see any other rights that need to be
protected.


Tarry Asoka
Care-net Ltd, Nigeria
mailto:carenet2020@yahoo.co.uk