Health Services: An Essential for Living

The production of goods and services in every sector of the economy has to be realized according
to socioeconomic efficiency criteria. The maximization of social welfare demands that the
production of goods and services fulfill Pareto (a principle that states, for many events, roughly
80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes) optimal conditions.

This naturally applies to the efficient provision of health care services, which in the modern welfare
state, seems to be mostly a state responsibility. Regardless of the provision, the production of
these services covering the ever-growing needs of the modern society – mainly in a
comprehensive and free, without exceptions for the whole population, manner – can be driven
publicly or privately, usually parallel or in various forms of complementarity.

The Growing Importance of Health Services

Achievements in health worldwide in the 20th century and especially during the past few decades
are impressive. The increase in life expectancy and the decrease in fertility throughout the world
have been greater in the past 40 years than during the previous 4000 years. Life expectancy is
almost 25 years longer today than at similar income levels in 1900 (Preker A. et al 2000). These
gains in health and quality of life are mainly the result of achievement and development of medical
care industry.

After knowing how this type of services greatly helps people, what exactly are health services?

Health services are often connected to healthcare. These programs aim to appraise the
health conditions of individuals through screening and examinations, cure and treat
disorders, prevent and control the spread of diseases, provide safety, emergency care,
and first aid, and ensure a follow-up program for individuals who have undergone
treatments.

Health services are usually offered by healthcare providers. “A healthcare provider is a trained
professional who provides people with healthcare” (Meeks, et al., 2011).

There are different types of healthcare providers, such as:

I. Health Professionals
Individuals who are licensed to practice medicine and other allied health
programs. An example of a health professional is a physician. A physician records
the medical history of individuals, provides diagnoses, performs medical examinations,
and prescribes medications. There are different types of physicians based on their
area of specialization.

Some types of specializations:

 cardiologist - specializes in diagnosing and treating

diseases of the cardiovascular system.
 dermatologist - a doctor that specializes in treating skin,
hair, nail, and mucous membrane disorders.
  gastroenterologist - a physician with dedicated training
and unique experience in the management of diseases of
the gastrointestinal tract and liver.
 geriatrician - a doctor who specializes in care of the
elderly and the diseases that affect them.
 gynecologist - a physician who specializes in treating
diseases of the female reproductive organs and providing
well-woman health care that focuses primarily on the
reproductive organs.
 neurologist - a medical doctor who specializes in
treating diseases of the nervous system.

II. Healthcare Facilities

Healthcare facilities are places or institutions that offer healthcare services.
There are different types of healthcare facilities (Meeks, et al., 2011).

a. Hospital
It is an institution where people undergo medical diagnosis, care
and treatment. A hospital offers different types of medical care like
inpatient and outpatient care. Inpatient care refers to care given to

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individuals who need to stay inside the hospital to receive proper
treatment, monitoring and care. On the other hand, outpatient care
refers to treatment that does not require an individual to stay inside the
hospital.

There are different kinds of hospitals:

 private - operated by individuals to gain profit.

 voluntary - does not require profit because it is owned
by a community or an organization.
 government - is being run by the state and the treatment
fees are subsidized.
 teaching - includes a school for medical students.

In the Philippines, there are two classifications of hospitals:

 general - have complete medical, surgical, and maternal
care facilities. Some examples are the Philippine
General Hospital, Baguio General Hospital, Cebu
General Hospital, and Davao Medical Center.

 specialty - handle a particular disease or condition or

deal with only one type of patient. Some examples are
the Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the
Philippines, and National Kidney Transplant Institute.
 b. Walk-In Surgery Center
It is a facility that offers surgery without the patient being
admitted in the hospital.

c. Health Center
The services in a health center cater to a specific population
with various health needs.

d. Extended Healthcare Facility

A facility that provides treatment, nursing care, and residential
services to patients, often the elderly.

III. Health Insurance

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`“Health insurance is a financial agreement between an insurance company
and an individual or group for the payment of healthcare costs” (Payne, et al., 2005).
This also may pertain to a “protection that provides benefits for sickness and injury”
(Meeks, et al., 2011).

It offers various types of coverage:

 medical insurance - pays for the fees of the health professionals,
laboratory tests, and prescription drugs.
 major medical insurance - offers payment for long-term or chronic
diseases such as AIDS and cancer.
 hospitalization insurance - pays for the stay of the patient inside the
hospital.
 surgical insurance - pays for surgery fees.
 disability insurance - provides financing for members who meet
accidents or suffer from illnesses.
 Health insurance may be sourced from both public and private companies.
An example of public health insurance is PhilHealth. As mandated by law in the
country, employees of both public and private companies avail of PhilHealth. It
requires a small monthly contribution from its members. These contributions are
saved and used for the medical care needed by a PhilHealth member.

A health maintenance organization (HMO) is a healthcare provider that

offers medical services that are availed through a prepaid amount of money. It is a
business that requires a relatively reduced monthly fee for subscribers. The
difference of an HMO with other insurance companies is that it hires or trains its own
health professionals and healthcare practitioners.
 orthopedist ophthalmologist pediatrician
pulmonologist urologist