The term healthcare refers to the various systems and processes to improve or maintain our physical or mental health. It involves treating (or preventing) illness, injury, disease, and other physical or mental impairments. As part of healthcare, you can find medical doctors and hospitals and dental specialists, psychologists, nurses, physical therapists, and occupational therapists.
Healthcare systems across nations take many forms, and individuals have access to different types of healthcare depending on various factors, including economies and socio-economic status.
Many people, as well as governments, consider healthcare access a fundamental human right. Those without quality healthcare have a lower quality of life and a shorter life expectancy than those with a stable, accessible, and affordable healthcare system. People living in health care systems that are efficient and effective typically live longer than people in healthcare systems that are lagging.
It is fairly easy to identify a top-notch healthcare system. Unfortunately, a complete ranking of countries’ healthcare systems that compares best to worst is impossible. There is much debate about what the perfect system looks like and the most important areas in the systems in play. However, healthcare is vitally important, so organizations focused on health continue to seek that elusive best system.
Here are five noteworthy medical systems in the world:
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- Denmark
- Austria
- Japan
You cannot compare health care systems on a perfect scale, so one cannot specify the best. In addition, there are several different criteria by which systems are evaluated, so the answer varies depending on who you ask.
Nonetheless, you can identify some trends by comparing the various data sets.
Recent reports indicate, for instance, that northern European countries tend to do well. Northern Europe is working hard to keep its people healthy, whether Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, or a neighbor. South Korea, Japan, and Singapore also make an appearance, representing the countries of East Asia.
The United States is absent from nearly every list, and this is difficult to overlook. Despite having high-quality doctors and facilities, the United States continues to fall behind other countries with universal health coverage due to higher costs and lower care availability.