DEBATE AND DILEMMAS IN HEALTH

Debate and Dilemmas in Health

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Debate and Dilemmas in Health

Introduction

The Parliamentary United Kingdom endorsed the Health and Social Care Act; emerge as a widespread restructuring of the National Health Service structure in United Kingdom till today. It is put forward to bring to an end NHS Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs) and Primary care trusts (PCTs). After that, about £60 to £80 billion of health care funds will be reassigned from PCTs to a large number of clinical commissioning groups, to a certain extent operate by the general practitioners in UK. By the year 2013, a new body “Public Health England” is intended to be established.

National Health Service employees and physicians are mainly concerned regarding the bill's aim to revise key NHS pillar to convert “any willing provider” while the current system guarantees the required service utterly through NHS and its direct partners and affiliates. Reforming the principle of the NHS of “any willing provider” takes away that prerequisite and permits providers of the private sector to encompass a say within the NHS, possibly introduction of the private sector pricing and operations in the NHS may results in the forced closure of local NHS because of the intense competition by the private industry. Such circumstances can result even in bankruptcy of the local NHS. The Medical Association of Britain has believed that health care forcing commissioners to tender agreements en route for any willing provider such as commercial companies may result in destabilization of economies of local health, as well as fragmented patients care. Increased price competition into the mix provide an opportunity to large commercial firms to penetrate in the market of NHS and pursue the most cost-effective contracts, make use of their size emasculate on price that as an outcome smash up local health services.

Discussion

NHS hospitals have always constructed by the private companies. Once built, NHS hospitals have to deal with their own funds, maintenance and service; however, the assets were owned by public. The purpose is to enhance the health care facilities quality by employing the skills and expertise of private sector companies. This imitative is endorsed by numerous prominent associations including NHS Estates, the NHS Modernisation Agency, the Department of Health, and the Kind's Fund; furthermore, to institutions of architecture such as the Built Environment and Commission for Architecture.

In the NHS history, Private Finance Initiative (PFI) is the prevalent building program. It is estimated that investment of worth £4.2 billion will have attained from schemes of PFI. At present, there are 21 operational and absolute health care schemes of PFI, while 12 have arrived at financial closure and 24 in the process of negotiation. Moreover, there are 21 more schemes are mapped for the future. Schemes of PFI have gradually coupled with facilities of modernizing health care (Crinson, 2009, pp 335-336).

As per PFI, a special purpose vehicle or private association is established to run the scheme. The association is comprised of several companies that include architects, ...