When Pauline W. Chen first started dealing with patients as a doctor, she noticed the appalling prices of many simple medications required to substain a healthy lifestyle. She first realized this during her training for residential surgery. She was taking care of her patient who had just had surgery on his abdomen. She noticed that the gauze had been packed more loosely and changed less frequently then instructed. When she called him in started to lecture him on the importance of dressing changes, he leaned over to interrupt. “Hey, Doc,” he said, pointing to the pile of unopened gauze. “Do you think I could have the extra? This stuff isn’t cheap.” She was appalled at how he had to cut down on gauze and dressing materials because of his income. Beforehand, she believed that being a good doctor meant knowing the clinical facts down cold. However after this incident, she realized that being a good doctor didn't just mean facts and surgeries. A doctor had to understand the current economy it's patients were living in. She decided to look into this problem farther. She noticed that most medical graduates are now taking economics and social sciences in University. A recent poll found that students who had attended the school with more of these types of courses (economics and social sciences) were significantly more satisfied with their education than students from the school with fewer. In the end, Pauline W. Chen believed understanding a patients medical needs as well as economic standing would help doctors make correct decisions on to the treatment of patients. I believe what Dr. Pauline W. Chen has said about medical care is clearly correct. Here in Canada we do not have to worry about healthcare as it is payed for in our taxes. In America, it's a completely different story. It's every man for himself with medication, surgeries, and transplants costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. An average American citizen cannot afford to pay this sum of money for something that should be free. Why must something so abundant and important be sold at a price in which normal people cannot afford? If it is essential to one's life then why even put a price on it? Has the government become so selfish that they cannot save millions of lives through cheat and efficient healthcare? Dr. Pauline W. Chen believes doctors can make a difference to the patient's bill through learning about the economy in University. However, I believe it is mainly in the government's power to control this problem. If the citizens cannot trust the government enough to provide beneficial healthcare; what possibly could the citizens trust the government on? If the government does not realize this flaw in society, medical standards and admiration may begin to decline.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/health/04chen.html
I completely agree with this. A person's life is their human right, and their total health should be as well. To charge money for the provision of a basic human right that is essential to life is neither fair nor logical. It's true that the materials cost money, and that the doctors must get paid, but they should not have to be paid by the patients who are suffering. They should be paid by the hospitals, who will in turn be funded by the government.
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