NIH: Essential for Resolving Medical Issues Worldwide - Essay Sample

Introduction

The National Institute of Health is an essential medical research center. The institute is crucial as it is mandated to come with solutions to diseases affecting the United States as well as the world. In the current coronavirus outbreak, the body is working tirelessly to ensure it comes up with a cure or a vaccine. It is vital to ensure that the policies adopted do not weaken the institute but makes it more reliable. This paper analysis the agency’s policies regarding unions, possible privatization, and pension plan as well as offering strategies for improving productivity and performance.

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The Agency and Unions

The National Institute of Health (NIH) employees should have a union. The research institute is mandated with the essential task of providing up to date information on human health. A country cannot be said to be developing if it is unable to take care of its citizen’s health. The following are reasons as to why unions are crucial at NIH.

A Base for Providing Safer Working Conditions

The main task of the National Institute of Health is research mostly during pandemics affecting the country as well as the world. The institute has researched various infectious and contagious diseases. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that the people dealing with these tasks are safe not to contract diseases. The leading research that is being done now is of the highly contagious coronavirus (Patel & Jernigan, 2020). It would be difficult if each employee presents the protective gear to the government that they need. The union should know the various protection garments that the employees need and ensure that they are provided at all times.

Better Employment Terms

Unity is strength. When employees come together and form a union, their needs are well-taken care. The association can have a collective bargaining agreement with the government to ensure that the employees are well compensated. Motivation is vital in the workplace since when employees are paid better, there is a likelihood of improved performance. For the country to grow, the government, through the NIH, should eliminate the infectious diseases affecting people. The future of the employees should be secure. A union will also bargain for the basic retirement pension plan. Working hours are also a point of contention that cannot be solved without an alliance. Some employees can work overtime without being paid for the extra hours.

The Agency and Privatization

The government is better at providing some services. Health is critical in any country and should not be privatized. The following are the main reasons why the National Institute of Health should remain under the government's watch.

It is Challenging to Hold Private Companies Accountable

Health is vital for an individual’s development and also for the country’s development. There are essential roles which are played by the National Institute of Health. It is not guaranteed that private companies can undertake the measures which are taken by NIH. When the services are in the hands of the government, it can take charge and correct any errors as when they arise (Angell, 2008). The information which the government can provide freely is not available when it comes to private companies due to their confidentiality.

Employees are Likely to be Sidelined A private company's main target is to get more profit. It does not matter the quality of the services which are offered (Angell, 2008). The benefits which are provided to the employees by the government may not be the same as the ones provided by the private company. Other health considerations also may not be taken into account. For employees to give the best results, their needs must be met.

High Cost

In the United States, there rich people and also poor who cannot even afford decent housing. Street families are likely to have various health conditions. If health services are privatized, these people cannot afford any services (Wilbanks & Topol, 2016). At the same time, some rich people have the best health insurance services, so they can afford any health service.

Employees’ Pension Plan

Since the National Institute of Health is under the department of health in the federal government, the employees enjoy the benefits which the federal government employees enjoy with a few additions due to the type of service offered (Lusardi & Mitchell,2011). The following are pension plans which the employee gets.

NIH Federal Credit Union

NIH has partnered with GreenPath Financial Wellness. The program is aimed at educating the employees to manage their finances better. Employees can save for their retirement under this arrangement. It is necessary to get some money above what one expects from the federal government. The money saved can also be claimed before departure. One can save for education, buying a home, or any other project. The financial advice given is personal. One can get the services directly or even through a telephone call. The program has adequate security features putting into consideration one may lose his savings if the proper procedures are not followed.

Work/ Life at NIH

NIH is committed to ensuring that the needs of employees which are evolving and diverse are well catered for. The central commitment is to ensure that the employees, their families, as well as the community, remain healthy. Various programs are designed for the wellbeing of the employee, even in retirement. At NIH, the employees are taken care of even after departure. The members of staff are offered education services on how to live healthy lives even after retirement. On top of the advice, there are various contributions made to cater for their health after retirement. Many health problems come with old age, and hence it is appropriate that the employees are advised in advance.

Recommendations for Improving Productivity and Performance

Rewards

Rewards can work pretty well in increasing the productivity of the employees. It is one way of employee motivation. When an employee conducts research successfully, he should be encouraged. Most employees fail to go the extra mile since they are all given equal treatment. Many health conditions do not have proper medication yet. Also, new diseases are coming up and spreading fast, disrupting the economy worldwide. Those who come with solutions to such problems should be highly recognized.

Evaluate Each Employee

Most of the time, some employees lag behind, leaving others to work for them. The contribution of each staff should be recorded. The payment should be based on the contributions done. Those who wait for others to work will, therefore, earn less. There is a high tendency for some staff to fail to work in government institutions. It should not matter whether one is in a senior position or not. Promotions should be based on merit.

Invest in High-Quality Equipment and Human Resource

Since healthy is essential for the country, the federal government should invest in high-quality medical equipment to ensure that more people are conducting research. It should not be left for a few laboratories to give the solution always. As technology continues changing, the machines are also supposed to be replaced with modern ones for efficiency. The government should also invest in the best human resource. It can do this through even investing in training. It is not necessarily hiring from other countries but setting modern facilities for training locally.

Conclusion

Unions are essential at the National Institute of Health because it is critical to ensure that the employees are motivated hence improving their productivity. It is not a good idea to privatize the institution. Health should be affordable to all, and the institution should be answerable to the government. There is a suitable pension plan for the employees on top of what they get from the federal government once they retire. Some of the recommendations to improve productivity and performance include rewards, evaluating each employee and also the government should invest in modern equipment.

References

Angell, M. (2008). Privatizing health care is not the answer: Lessons from the United States. Cmaj, 179(9), 916-919. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2565716/

Lusardi, A., & Mitchell, O. S. (2011). Financial literacy and planning: Implications for retirement wellbeing (No. w17078). National Bureau of Economic Research. https://www.nber.org/papers/w17078

Patel, A., & Jernigan, D. B. (2020). Initial public health response and interim clinical guidance for the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak—United States, December 31, 2019–February 4, 2020. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69(5), 140. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7004396/

Wilbanks, J. T., & Topol, E. J. (2016). Stop the privatization of health data. Nature News, 535(7612), 345. https://www.nature.com/news/stop-the-privatization-of-health-data-1.20268