Band 5+: Good health is a basic human right. However, in a growing number of countries today, access to health care depends on socio-economic status. This is discriminatory and should not be the basis for access to good health. To what extent do you agree with the statement? Write an essay of about 350 words to express your opinion. Give reasons and specific examples to support your answer

The assertion that good health is a part of human right is widely acknowledged; however, in an increasing number of regions, socio-economic status determines whether individuals can get access to health care services. This phenomenon raises concerns regarding ethnicity and injustice in medical distribution. This essay will explore the extent to which I concur with this statement.

There are several reasons why it is important to distribute the access to the medical care and discourage discrimination based on one’s socio-economic status. Firstly, health is a fundamental need in a person’s life and is included in the right to live. Therefore, giving people access to health care depending on their wealth is highly discriminatory and ethically wrong. For example, it is not morally right to just watch a person with a disease gradually comes to his death, due to his inability to afford hospital bills. Secondly, the discrimination in medical services should be stopped as soon as possible. If this continues to happen, it is quite certain that the number of people with low socio-economic status will drop. The important thing is that these people account for the majority of the labor force, which is crucial for the development of the economy. This is equivalent to a weaker economy due to limited labor force.

However, people in the medical fields are doing for a reason. Treating a patient requires a ton of resource, money and skills, and the more people with low socio-economic status go to the hospital, the more likely it is that they will have to make it free or lower the price in accordance with the policy in many nations, which will culminate in an enormous loss in profit. Moreover, with little to no money in return, it hinders them from buying and importing medicines, leading to the lack of medicines. At that point, even lots of money cannot afford to save their lives.

In conclusion, my view is that while equally distributing the medical service to anyone regardless of their situation is morally right, it also comes at the costs to the hospital itself.