Essay Example on Health Care Sector: Challenges and Inadequacies

Health is an essential need in every state in the world. Many citizens must require it to survive and be able to carry the day to day activities. Mostly many nations have invested heavily in the health sector. A well-established system ensures that citizens acquire quality services from the health sector (Erwin & Brownson, 2017). Despite doing so, there are several shortcomings in the industry that occur due to various reasons. Some of the factors affecting the health care sector include economic, social, religious, and demographic factors. The above factors may influence the industry in terms of the workforce and other related aspects. The paper will look at how demographic and economic factors affect the health workforce in Washington DC and give a suitable recommendation.

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The main factor affecting physician services in most developed nations can be tied to economic development. The income of the workers matters a lot in determining the number of laborers. A study conducted in the United States shows that the level of the physicians would increase with an increase in income. Lowering the wages ended up making people run away from the sector, which resulted in a shortage of workforce (Erwin & Brownson, 2017). National income also plays a significant role in the health sector. Labor is the most expensive component when it comes to health. As a result, an increase in the national income will directly influence the workforce in that the physician will increase (Sellers, Leider, Gould, Castrucci, Bogaert, & Erwin, 2019). The low gross domestic product causes a decrease in the supply of human resources in hospitals.

Additionally, state per capita income directly affects the supply of the workforce in the health facilities (Sellers et al., 2019). Per capita income goes hand in hand with the number of health physicians in Washington dc, and other states in the U.S. As a result, the number of the workers deeply depends on the amount of the average income obtained per head. Although this does not affect those who are specialized in medicine, it influences the sector. Both general and pediatrics were most affected by income, while surgical experts were less affected. Geographical factors come in due to the factor that geographic regions have different incomes. Due to this, you may find some areas have high human resources while other has a low number of physicians. Hence, per capita income acts as a significant factor that influences the health workforce.

Another factor that determines the number of health workers is economic growth. Although, this macro-trend only affects workers over a long duration lasting for up to ten years. Despite this, it heavily influences the number of physicians working in a given hospital. Mostly economic growth may force the federal government to increase the wages of the health workers. Due to this, many will be attracted to join the sector hence increasing the workforce (Sellers et al., 2019). On the other hand, economic growth induces, in turn, increases the demand for health services, and this results in the hiring of more physicians (Pierce & Schott, 2020). Low income and minimal or no economic gain influence the hiring process; hence a slight economic growth will lead to an increase in the health workforce. So, economic growth stands to be one of the economic macro-trends that affect health physicians.

Demographic simply refers to the trend in population. Population trends come as the second key factor that influences the health workforce. Although the forecast given by the Census Bureau had some shortcomings compared to the real data (Sellers et al., 2019). The estimated population growth estimated tends to be very low as compared to the actual number of people. Information given by the bureau indicates an error of about twenty-five percent in the surpluses of physicians. As a result, a shortage of health workforce exists; in fact, twenty medical institutions need to service the extra population. Due to this, there is a shortage of health workers in the state (Sellers et al., 2019). Additionally, society determines the workforce required. For example, if the country holds a significant number of people, then they need many physicians in return. Hence inaccurate population forecasting results in a deficiency in the budget allocated to the health sector (Pierce & Schott, 2020). The availability of the physicians depends on the population in that the higher number of people leads to their availability.

The demographic trend also affects the quantity of the workforce required. The aging population demands more care as compared to young people. A recent study shows that aging people stand at 8.1 percent of the total population of the United States (Pierce & Schott, 2020). The end of a calendar means that more or new health facilities are needed. Older people are prone to many diseases, including chronic illness. The state is somehow forced to make some improvements each year to be in line with the changes in age (Beard & Bloom, 2015). Based on ethics, hospitals require some extra human resources to take care of people from different diversity. Other factors of the demographic are cultural and religious aspects. Washington is a home for people with different cultural and religious beliefs. For example, some cultures do not allow a female patient to be handled by a male physician. As a result, more workforce based on culture and religion is required to handle the different patients.

As a result of the above analysis, some adjustment is needed for the smooth running of the health sector. The projected population, which was estimated to reach 345 million by 2020, needs to be considered in Washington. The trend model evades mistakes committed in the past by the likes of the Census Bureau, which makes it a vital projection method (Pierce & Schott, 2020). By using these trends, the state can be able to forecast and prepare for the future in terms of the health workforce. Statistics have shown that there is an increase in physician yearly. Washington faces a shortage of physicians in that the ratio of public to physicians is notable and dramatically affects the services provide (Beard & Bloom, 2015). The most considerable shortage is evident in specialists where many special cases have to wait for a long duration. Trends model projects an increase in physicians shortly.

Conclusion

In conclusion, some things have to be considered and acted upon to improve the health sector in Washington. The projected population should be vital in estimating the average number of physicians required. Besides, the income of the state should be considered while hiring health workers to ensure that there are no losses. On the other hand, a shortage of specialists can be noted, and this is a shortcoming. As a result, specialized physicians need to be increased to guarantee quality medical care. By doing so, Washington will experience the best medical care in the United States.

References

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