Healthcare in Developing Countries

For any country to make the transition from developing to developed, there are many factors that must work in unison in order to achieve this transition. These development goals cover a wide spectrum of factors that are simultaneously unrelated and interlocked [LL2]with one another. Although there are many different factors that push a country towards development, the provision, and societal access to, healthcare [LL3]is almost unanimously agreed to be one of the most important signifiers in a countries transition. [LL4]

Most economic problems in developing countries are largely due to a high majority of the population living in poverty[LL5]. In these countries, there are at least one billion people living on less than one US dollar a day[LL6]. There are two and a half billion people living on less than two US dollars a day. Regarding healthcare, just over one third of the population of the entire world lacks what we consider to be adequate health care (Bale). At its most basic root, the cost, access to, and availability of healthcare, like every other economic signifier we study, is determined by basic supply and demand. Simply put, we [LL7]have a distinct lack of adequate health care being supplied in these developing nations. Not only that, but those that need it most are not seeking out, or demanding, the healthcare they need to flourish[LL8]. There are many factors that lead to these shortages [LL9]of supply and demand, as well as many theories and policies aimed at correcting these market inefficiencies. While everyone [LL10]is essentially working towards the same goal, there exist a multitude of different policies and interventions designed to achieve this goal.