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Essay on Poor Health Systems in Africa

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Submitted By simeonst
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Four Main Differences between the healthcare systems in Nigeria and the USA.

After living in my native country, Nigeria for nearly twenty years of my life, I had the opportunity to relocate to the United States of America to live with my Dad while pursuing a career in Nursing. On getting to the United States of America or the USA as it is commonly called, I discovered how lovely and different the country really is. The USA was a lot different from what I had heard from stories back home in Nigeria. The previous three years, since January 2009 to be precise, has provided me first-hand experience of some major differences between my country of origin and the United States of America. In comparison, there are four main differences between the lifestyle of the United States of America and Nigeria.
First, one of the many significant differences between the United States of America and Nigeria is its political institutions. The United States of America has two major political parties while Nigeria has a multiple party system. Though both practice some form of Federalism, the United States of America utilizes a system whereby the individual States have a high measure of autonomy or political control of their region. On the other hand, Nigeria has a strong central government that imposes law and rules that the state governments have to abide by. Furthermore, in the United States of America, the States provide most of its own resources, while in Nigeria the federal government controls the resources and allocates it to the states.
Comparatively, another major difference between the United States of America and Nigeria are public transportation systems. When I first relocated to U.S.A I didn’t have a car which made life very difficult for me because the buses and trains that are available for transportation had certain route, time and bus stops. Sometime the bus stops were so far from my destination or from my home and I had...

AVAILABILITY OF HEALTH SERVICES
Health services in Nigeria are limited in comparison to the population. The number of physicians available to begin with is too low not to mention the poorly facilitated hospitals. Nigeria lacks medical equipment and technology without which knowledge of treatment and curing cannot be applied. Citizens that are financially well off usually will have no problem accessing medical care and as a result the bigger percentages of people are in dire need of health care are the poor.
One very important strategy they can pick from the USA is to train medical practitioners and to ensure they are required by law to offer quality services. In the USA it is a requirement that doctors that are allowed to handle patients are always well rested and of sound mind. The government should consider investing in training of doctors and nurses who are well paid. An increased number of medical personnel and more medical facilities and hospitals would greatly reduce the mortality rates, especially from diseases and infections that are treatable.
In conclusion Nigeria’s health care however wanting has room for improvement. With proper planning, sound policies and strict implementation the situation can be improved.

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