Health care is a first human need. Currently, the private health sector has grown significantly, but its cost is substantially superior in comparison to public services. This makes it less accessible to ordinary people. Despite the possible disadvantages connected to the expansion of private hospitals and clinics, in my opinion, the advantages of this service outweigh the disadvantages, and this essay will outline the reasons for my position.
On one hand, the expansion of private hospitals and clinics has led to an increased availability of health care options, resulting in a fast access, and thus a decrease in waiting lists for consultations or surgeries. In fact, if those people that can afford to pay private health care (or that benefit from insurance agreements allowing them to use private services), consult these private centers, this will reduce the quantity of people using the public hospitals. This way, public services will have more availability to serve the people that do not have another health care option, allowing a better care and faster response. In addition, private companies normally provide a more personal standard of care and better installations/commodities, which may be a requirement for certain people that can afford and want to pay for it. In particular, after child delivery, a mother may prefer to stay in a maternity where the installations are better and the care is more personalized.
On the other hand, one of the disadvantages related to the increase in private health sector is the fact that many doctors and nurses leave the public sector, with the aim of finding better working conditions and salaries. Indeed, often, private companies offer many advantages to health care professionals, what may reduce the medical force in the public hospitals and clinics. Another disadvantage is the inequity underlying the private service, which is provided only to those that can pay for it, making it not evenly accessible. For example, a person that cannot afford to consult in a private clinic may need to wait much longer, in order to obtain a consultation and/or surgery, which may delay the diagnosis or treatment.
In conclusion, health care should be easily accessible to all human beings. Private companies are usually very costly, making this access to health care unequal to all the population. However, I believe that the advantages of benefiting from a larger number of health care options, given the growth of private companies, is mostly beneficial in a larger scale, since it will decrease the affluence to public services and thus provide a quicker access to health both for those that pay for the private service, as well as for those that cannot afford and will make use of the public services.