Paradox of plenty in healthcare

 The theory of Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson of "baking the pie bigger to univarsalize " doesn't apply to the healthcare. The size of the "pie" (e.g., national healthcare budget, number of doctors, supply of medicines) matters less than how it is sliced and served. This is the paradox of abundance: even when the total capacity of a healthcare system grows, disputes, inefficiencies, and disparities in distribution can persist or even worsen.

Without fair and efficient distribution mechanisms, resources pool in centers of power or privilege, leaving underserved areas in perpetual scarcity.

Expansion without transparency leads to resource mismanagement. Equipments lie unused, doctors remain unposted, and medicines expire in storage—while patients wait or die due to ‘shortages.’

Often, allocation of medical resources is influenced not by epidemiological needs but by political or institutional clout. Urban hospitals may receive a major share of high-end machines or funds, while rural clinics barely function. Marginalized communities then suffer not due to absolute scarcity, but because of systemic exclusion.

*image: ctto

My suggestion would be-

1.Fairness in policy and practice: Equity, not just equality, must drive healthcare resource planning. Ensure the bigger pie reaches the hungriest mouths.

2.Data-driven distribution: Use real-time health indicators to guide dynamic allocation. Transparent inventory and supply chain systems powered by technology (AI, blockchain) . There should be regular audits of resource distribution and utilization.

3.Decentralization: Empower local health authorities to identify and manage needs i.e. healthcare planning tailored to local needs

4.Community involvement: Include grassroot voices in planning to prevent top-down blind spots & strengthen the public-private partnerships to fill critical gaps.

Even in abundance, if the system lacks justice and accountability, the illusion of scarcity will continue — not because the pie is small, but because there is no control on knife.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stress management

Image
 Stress is a feeling of emotional pressure. It is a type of psychological pain. Small amounts of stress may be beneficial, as it can improve one's performance . However , excessive stress can affect the health and also aggravate a pre-existing condition such as increase the risk of strokes, heart attacks, ulcers, and mental illnesses such as depression . Stress is the natural reaction your body has when changes or challenges occur. It can result in many different physical, emotional and behavioral responses. Everyone experiences stress from time to time .   Types of stress: There are three main kinds of stress: acute, episodic acute and chronic.  Acute stress: Acute stress is short-term stress that comes and goes quickly. It can be positive or negative.   Episodic acute stress: Episodic acute stress is when you experience acute stress on a regular basis. With this kind of stress, you don’t ever get the time you need to return to a calm, relaxed state. Epi...
Read more

"Antithetical rhetoric "

 I found this really interesting, so sharing with all of you! *Exclusion to Inclusion - Know the cultural difference* *Exclusion Culture:* They bring nine chairs for ten children, and they tell the children that the winner is the one who gets the chair, and whoever remains without a chair is out of the game. Then they reduce the number of chairs each time and a child comes out every time until one child remains and he/she is declared the winner. The child learns the culture of  “myself, myself, and in order to succeed, I must remove others.” *Inclusion Culture:* And in Japanese kindergartens, they play the game of chairs too. And they also come with nine chairs for ten kids, with a difference ! There, they tell the children that you have no more chairs. If one of you remains without a chair, everyone loses. All the children try to hug each other so that all ten children can sit on nine chairs. And then they reduce the number of chairs successively with the rule remaining that ...
Read more