Singapore versus Sweden

Singapore versus Sweden

A Healthcare Comparison of Two Developed Nations

[Writer's Institution]

Singapore versus Sweden

A Healthcare Comparison of Two Developed Nations

Introduction

Healthcare has become a major challenge for every country, especially for those who implement a state sponsored healthcare plan. Healthcare systems, especially in developed nations, are becoming increasingly important as the life expectancy increases. This means that a nation will have a greater number of elderly that require care. Singapore has the lowest birth and growth rate in Asia (8.99 births occur per 1,000 individuals, placing the total growth at only 1.13%). In combination with a low birth rate, the average life expectancy at birth is high, 84.68 years for females and 79.29 years for males (Country Watch, 2013). This means that the median age of Singaporeans is increasing, and the population is getting older. Like many developed nations, Singapore faces the twin demographic problem, where the population of the elderly is increasing, and the population of the young who are suppose to support elderly programs is decreasing (Haseltine, 2013, p. xiii). This shift in demographics also changes the types of healthcare problems that the population and healthcare professional face. In the year 2010, like many developed countries, Singapore made a shift from an infectious disease focus to managing chronic disease (Haseltine, 2013, p. 9).

Singapore enjoys impressive financial independence, which is comparable to any developed nation in the world. However, major gaps in the healthcare system provided by the government make life difficult for many of its less fortunate citizens. Major reforms are required to ensure that every resident has access to affordable healthcare. Singapore can learn from other developed countries that face similar challenges and have come up with real solutions to face those challenges. In this paper, Sweden's healthcare system will be closely examined to see how the Swedish healthcare funding model can be modified and implemented to improve the funding available for the healthcare program offered by the Singaporean government.

Discussion

Sweden's Healthcare System

Organization

Sweden's healthcare model is implemented under the idea of “shared responsibility”. The responsibility is shared among the central government, the county council and the local municipalities. The enactment of Health and Medical Service Act gave local governments more freedom to make healthcare decisions for their respective jurisdictions. The role of the central government is limited to creating guideline and setting political goals to reach health and medical goals. The laws that the central government creates must be agreed upon by the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SALAR), which is representative of the county council and municipalities (Swedish Institute, 2012, p.1).

There are two hundred and ninety municipalities, twenty county councils and four regions in Sweden. There is no hierarchical difference between municipalities, county councils and regions. County council's main concern is dealing with healthcare issues. Their main culture is to provide quality healthcare for the resident of the country and provide dental care for individuals up to age twenty. Municipalities are mainly responsible for elderly care, whether it is at home or a ...