Introduction
There has been a great shift in global health standards. People are becoming more and more aware about the quality of healthcare rather than quantity in healthcare. Government or regulatory authorities primarily focused on quantity of healthcare system, i.e., to increase access to healthcare services, rather than focussing on quality of the healthcare system. Safety of the patient, doctors, is of paramount importance in today’s global health. There are many instances where professional doctors were beaten by the family of the patient and authorities did not take appropriate actions against the accused. This article provides a general overview of the time for a revolution in the global healthcare system.
Factors that indicate time for a revolution in global health
- The Evolution of Global Health: Access vs. Quality: Since the World Health Organisation’s formation, international health policies have primarily focused on enhancing the availability of health care services, especially for LMICs. There has been a great achievement by the authorities in increasing access to healthcare to lower middle-class countries and people. However, as more people have gained access to healthcare, a new issue has emerged: the health status a person is therefore wanting, as the quality of care being offered is most often inadequate to acceptable standards. This paradox paints a rather scary picture not only of lack of access to health facilities but also of the quality of care that is given in these centres once one gets there. This is the main factor which indicates that this is high time for a revolution in global health.
- Patient safety: a global imperative : Patient safety is at the heart of the quality revolution. There are various adverse events, including in particular medical mistakes, that can be avoided, including mistaken diagnoses, unsafe surgeries, medication errors, and infections acquired in healthcare facilities. In order to reduce or even eliminate such adverse events, healthcare organisations globally need to enhance their commitment with the patient safety agenda that supports the culture of blame-free reporting of medical errors and subsequent analysis.
- Strengthening Capacity of Health Workforce: Another area that needs to be considered for enhancing the quality of quality in global health is the skillset that currently exists in the health ministries and in most other health facilities. However, most countries have not really done much to improve on both qualitative and quantitative production of doctors, nurses, and other health care personnel. Such a shortage of adequately trained personnel invariably results in inaccurate diagnosis, wrong treatment and patient management, and treatment delay. Solving such problems calls for serious improvement in how healthcare workers are trained, supervised, and supported, especially in rural and other hard-to-staff areas.
- Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs): The World Health Organisation has found out that most diseases globally are shifting from being infectious diseases to chronic diseases, also known as non-communicable diseases, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and chronic respiratory diseases. There is a high need for healthcare systems to adapt to patient-orientated models of care that persons with chronic illnesses require. Governments should also consider dimensions of digitisation in health, including telemedicine as well as integrated mobile health applications.
Conclusion
It is an undisputed fact that there has been an increase in access to healthcare services, but poor quality healthcare has caused the loss of various lives. Therefore, the focus should be on quality healthcare. It is high time for a revolution in quality health that focuses on safeguarding the patient’s interests, etc.