Viva For Your Health

According to a recent study by the Cato Institute of Britainâ??s National Health Service (NHS), there is no perfect scenario when it comes to health care.  On one side of the spectrum is the desire to have unlimited medical care to extend oneâ??s life as much as possible, and the other end of the spectrum is to ration care to control spending.

The NHS is a centralized government version of the one-payer system in England, and it pays directly for health care and finances the system through general tax revenues.  Most physicians and nurses are government employees.  Below are some key statistics to keep in mind when looking at a government system without competition.

• Waiting Times. Presently as many as three quarters of a million Britons are waiting to be treated in Britainâ??s hospitals. Cancer patients, for example, will wait as long as eight months before being treated. A byproduct of that wait is that maybe 20 percent of colon cancer patients who were initially considered â??treatableâ? when first diagnosed, will become â??incurableâ? as a direct result of all that waiting. Even more alarming is the fact that as many as 40 percent of cancer patients have never even been seen by an oncology specialist.

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• 50-70% wait longer than 18 months to see specialists. In 2008 Britainâ??s goal was for a wait time of no more than 18 weeks.  The study showed that only 30-50 percent of patients actually received treatment within the 18-week time frame. Whatâ??s worse is that only 20 percent of orthopedic and trauma patients received care from a specialist within the18-week target window.

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• Rationed care. Not surprisingly, a direct result of Britainâ??s over-taxed system is that certain types of care for more expensive procedures such as open heart surgery and kidney dialysis are now â??rationed.â? Even more alarming is that patients deemed â??too illâ? or â??too oldâ? for a procedure to be â??cost-effectiveâ? are being denied treatment altogether. One government â??solutionâ? being proposed is that the NHS be allowed to refuse treatment to those with â??unhealthy lifestylesâ? such as smokers and the overweight.

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• Widening gap between NHS and private insurance. Another solution is â??competitionâ? in the form of private health insurance. Currently about 10 percent of Britons have private health insurance, and that number is growing, as more and more Britons seek to gain access to a wider choice of healthcare providers and avoid waiting lists.

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• Growing demand for private health care. Studies conducted on the British public indicated that 63 percent felt the need for healthcare reform is â??urgent,â? and another 24 percent believe that it is at least â??desirable.â? Even more telling, however, is that 60 percent of Britons believe that making it easier for patients to spend their own money on health care would â??improve quality.â?

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Things you will want to know about Britain before you visit

• The best times to visit are May, June, September and October
• Heathrow Airport handles 67 million passengers a year
• Britain is 35 miles from France
• 80,000 umbrellas are lost annually on the London Underground
• Britain receives on average between 20-35 inches of rain per year
• Nowhere in Britain is more than 75 miles from the sea
• Cars drive on the left hand side of the road
• Voltage is 240 â?? do not use your 110 American appliances!

An alternative career in health services can be pursued in a quality institution after a lot of search. Established in 1825 the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services has been functioning as one of the oldest teaching hospitals in the country. For building up a blooming career in health services the institute offers various avenues.

Seeking an alternative career in health services requires searching through a number of quality institutions to find out the best avenues offered in the line. Established way back in the year 1825, the George Washington University School of Medicine and health services academics was granted the use of Washington Infirmary by the Congress in 1844. Standing as one of the oldest general teaching hospitals in the country, the school is now a part of the George Washington Medical Center.

Component Institutes for medical service aspirants

With the university hospital, health science library highly experienced medical faculty associates as well as the school of public health and health services there are ample opportunities for building up the career in health services for the aspirant students.

Course Structure supporting health career

Four years semi traditional course is followed in the school helps gradual build up of health career. Introduction to clinical setting in the first two years besides teaching on basic science helps providing a platform for future improvements. The focus of building up health career would be on -

• Studies in normal human biology and function including basic medical science courses in the first year itself become a good learning ground for students.

Focus on abnormal human biology, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, and psychopathology.

Initial studies carried on in core curriculum and thereafter the students migrating to interdisciplinary organ system.

Adequate clerkship in the major clinical disciplines as well as primary care clerkship.

Studies including compulsory “acting internship” in medicine, pediatrics or family practices courses in anesthesiology, emergency medicine, and neuroscience

Studies in urology, orthopedics, otolaryngology, pediatric surgery, as well as ophthalmology.

Carrying out a course in medical decision making including one didactic course.

Additional training is provided in affiliate institutions in United States and abroad.

Unique Programs for alternative health care career

• It grows in conjunction with mainstream health care needs.

• Energy healing, herbal medicine, acupuncture, aromatherapy, naturopathy are particular areas of alternative health care.

• Combined studies like MD-PhD and GWBS programs help build up an alternative career of the student in the field of medical science.

In midst of the diverse socio-cultural land of America, experience of minorities with their historical visages has always been rendered execrably pathetic with their health rates deteriorating with each passing decade.

Many social factors like racial subjugation, poverty and inaccessibility of government resources are rendering them more vulnerable as compared to people belonging to other communities.

In-spite of having highest level of health problems, members belonging to minority racial groups are least inclined in utilizing health services. Recognizing this fact, National Institute of Health time and again announces grants to induce organizations dealing with the health related issues among minorities to reach their doors imbibing in them importance of health care and maintenance. Promotion of health among males was one of their initiatives making racial and ethnic minority males as their target.

This funding opportunity was opened for those who proposed to expand the research towards the health of minority men. The research had to be conducted to increase understanding of socio-demographic, social and cultural factors responsible for the deteriorating health rate among males and their subpopulations. Its other purpose was catering to the applications, which had been imploring upon the development and testing of health promoting devices to reduce health disparities among the racially and ethnic diverse populations.

The total project period announced was of two years with direct costs allowed up to

$275,000 over an R21 two-year period, with not more than $200,000 as direct costs was allowed to spend in one year.

Applicants could also request for the direct costs of up to $25,000 modules, with the direct costs limitation of $275,000 in a combined two-year award period. Applicants had to follow the policies as described in the NIH Grants Policy Statement.

Any public/State Controlled sectors or institutions of Higher education referred as Nonprofit status with 501(c)(3) IRS Status or Nonprofit without 501(c)(3) IRS Status and many small businessmen or profit oriented organizations, any state government, tribal government or any other organizations or institutions working for the upliftment of the minorities were deemed eligible for the grants to carry on with the said project.

Even individuals having skills or knowledge and necessary resources to move forward with the proposed project were also invited to work along with his/her organization and individuals having disabilities were also applicable to apply.

For the sex related diseases too, there was a grant proposal to evaluate Locally Developed (Homegrown) HIV Prevention Interventions for African-American and Hispanic/Latino Men Who Have Sex with Men (MSM). The grant for the same was announced on 27th January 2009.