Comparative Healthcare: Child Health

Unlike India Australia boasts many community services forchildren from families with complex health problems.Practitioners from India report that their private healthsystem is among the best in the world and that thetraining, experience and quality of Indian doctors attractprivate patients from across the globe. On the other handfor many Indians their local health system is not wellresourced as is illustrated in the response to these casescenarios. The coverage of organized immunisationprogram can be limited in some areas; thereforeinfectious disease is a far greater problem than it is inAustralia. In India liberal controls over the sale of manydrugs has resulted in widespread abuse of antibiotics andNSAIDs. The lack of electricity in rural areas precludes thestorage of insulin and sterile injecting equipment whichundermines the quality of diabetic care. On the otherhand most Australians benefit from greater governmentexpenditure on health. The welfare system is much moreequipped to support parents from underpriviledge areas.Many schools will accept children with intellectual orphysical challenges into mainstream classes and cansometimes be financially supported to have a teacher’sassistant for the child. Two groups of Australians needextra support: migrants who may not speak English orknow how to access statutory services and Aboriginalpeople for whom language, lack of social supports orremoteness from health care underscores inequity.