Across the world, citizens are worried about their health care. The concern about health care in many countries has increased so significantly that protests and demonstrations have taken place, urging governments to find solutions for flaws in the health care system.
On average, about 24 percent of people worldwide are worried about the health care system in their countries. But in certain countries, the pervasive worry about health care is much higher.
In Hungary for example, nearly three-quarters of the people are concerned about the country’s health care system. Poland also has a high rate of concern, with 62 percent of its population claiming they worry about health care.
This trend stretches to countries like Brazil and the United Kingdom where nearly half of the population in both countries is concerned about health care. Brazil cites issues with funding, political unrest, and the Zika virus outbreak as the cause of many of the country’s health shortfalls.
The United Kingdom’s National Health Service has been described as “in crisis,” due to long wait times for hospital visits as well as funding issues. Advocates for the NHS argue that the system needs to be funded properly and returned to the public’s control. Protests in February proved the population is not at ease with the way things are being handled, and that solutions need to be both immediate and long-term.
Additionally, citizens from the United States are just as concerned about their health care, because the BBC estimates that 15 percent of Americans cannot afford medical insurance, which is essential to access affordable health care.
Many of the problems facing these healthcare systems involve budget issues, possible corruption, and epidemics that have taken these countries by surprise. While solutions have been proposed for some of these countries, such as the controversial Affordable Health Care Act enacted by former president Barack Obama in the United States, they often fall short to provide quality, affordable healthcare to the citizen’s dismay.
Conversely, countries such as South Korea, Turkey, and Mexico are the least likely to worry about healthcare. In these countries, the healthcare systems are designed to provide various forms of free access to healthcare without long wait times that happen in other countries.
