- Worldwide, the country that invests the most money of its GDP in health is the United States with 14.3%.
- In contrast, Mexico barely allocates 2.8%.
- As a consequence, most of the public units lack inputs and their infrastructure looks obsolete and deficient.
Health is the backbone of any society. That is why it is necessary to invest in this area because its benefits are visible to the entire population. Especially in emergency situations such as the current one caused by Covid-19, it is when it is best appreciated. The problem is that not all countries think the same and the best way to notice the differences is through their Public hospitals.
In this sense, a key point that must be understood is that health is always an investment and never an expense. The drawback is that not all governments allocate the same percentages to strengthen their health systems.
The countries that invest the most and least in health
In the specific case of Mexico, for decades it was a forgotten sector and today the consequences can be seen. Not only are there very few hospitals relative to the number of patients, but the ones that do exist are not in the best condition.
To exemplify, it is worth comparing the countries that invest the most and least in health around the world. To do so, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has the records of all the nations that comprise it.
With the above in mind, The United States allocates 14.3 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to the health field. While in the case of Germany and Norway it is 9.5 and 8.7 percent, respectively. So far they are at the top of the countries that invest the most in health.
On the other hand, the opposite occurs in Mexico because it is among the last places to allocate only 2.8 percent for this item. Even Latin American countries like Colombia, Chile and Brazil are above.
The condition of public hospitals in Mexico
As a consequence, only the conditions of public hospitals should be observed. Through social networks, the doctor and analyst Xavier Tello posted a comment criticizing the current state of the units.
What he mentions is that basic aspects such as offering toilets with water and paper are non-existent. While other aspects such as offering decent parking and waiting rooms for patients and their families are practically never seen.
Mexico is the country where public hospitals:
-They don’t have parking
-They do not have areas for waiting for relatives (comfortable and dignified)
-They rent cardboard to spend the night in the apartment
-The bathrooms do not have paper, soap and are dirty
-Patients live incommunicado.
🇲🇽≠ 🇩🇰 https://t.co/Br7n7ek59b— Xavier Tello (@StratCons) June 16, 2022
His publication generated a wave of comments in which other people launch the same criticism but mention the hospitals that are in poor condition. Contrary to what some might think, these are not rural clinics but hospitals located in large cities and considered among the best in the country.
What users mention is that many units do not even have designated spaces for family members of hospitalized patients to stay. As a consequence, in many cases they must remain outdoors and covered with cardboard because it is the only thing within their reach.
While when talking about equipment and furniture the situation is even worse. In multiple public hospitals, the most constant complaint is that they do not have basic supplies to care for patients. In the end, this leads to poor service and although it is often thought that the doctor is to blame, it actually comes from higher up.
For now, what do you consider to be the main deficiencies of public hospitals?