SONGSOPTOK
INTERVIEW WITH DEBORAH
HEALTHCARE – A
RIGHT OR A PRIVILEGE?
SONGSOPTOK: Do you consider primary healthcare
to be a fundamental right? Is it deemed as such in the society you live in?
Please explain your answer with a few examples if possible.
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: Yes I believe everyone should never be turned away from a
hospital or a doctor.. Everyone deserves to be treated when they are sick. I
remember when I was a young girl my mother and grandmother were talking about a
young woman that was having complications with her pregnancy but she did not
have insurance she was taking to the hospital
because she was losing her baby,
and she was turned away from the hospital and so she died on the steps of the hospital it was
very sad indeed..
SONGSOPTOK: What is the
system of healthcare in the country and the society you live in? Is it a just
and equitable system in the sense that all citizens enjoy the same benefits
across economic and social classes?
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: The insurance
companies control everything . Everyone can be covered if they have a job to
pay for it.. .. the ones that do not have a job just deal with their illness
until they do die.. there are some hospitals like St. Jude for children that
have cancers that do not take any money.. they never turn anyone away.
SONGSOPTOK: Do you think that free healthcare cannot be a right, but
it can be a privilege and a shared burden of sacrifice for the sake of the
social contract?
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: REPLY:Free health in this country isn’t really free. The United
States is a great country but they do not really take care of the sickly like
they say they do.
SONGSOPTOK: What, in your opinion, should be the role of the
government for ensuring equal healthcare to all citizens? What role is played
by the government of the country you live in?
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: I really don’t like government involved in anything because then
the country becomes Communism.. But even if they say its free health care it
really isn’t the ones that do not have jobs and if they file income tax and if
they do not have health insurance they get penalized …
SONGSOPTOK: According to the data published by World Health
Organization (WHO), nearly 16 000 children under the age of 5 die every day in
the world (5.9 million in 2015) from infectious, neonatal or nutritional
conditions. Is this a reality in the country you live in? If so, what would
your suggestions of improvement be?
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: If I was a smart person I would or maybe would know what to do
about world hunger.. We have a wealthy country but there are still some that do
go hungry, Our churches try their best to help the needy but then there are the
people that live on the streets that break my heart.
SONGSOPTOK: “Free access to healthcare is a fundamental human right.
Access to free healthcare is not” – do you agree with this statement? Please
explain your choice.
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: I believe that it is a
fundamental human right,. I don’t think God wants anyone to go hungry. unfortunately
there are people that are so greedy and do not care about human rights I wish I
could help everyone. But I can’t.
SONGSOPTOK: How important is the role of the private sector for providing
healthcare and related facilities in your country? What it is your opinion
about it?
DEBORAH
BROOKS LANGFORD: When people first seek diagnosis and treatment for an
illness they visit a private pharmacist, nurse, midwife, doctor, a drug seller or
traditional practitioner. People use these private sector providers because
they are often nearer, open for longer hours, and are seen as more considerate
and sometimes less expensive than their public sector counterparts. They are
often a significant part of the health system in developing countries.
Consequently they are an important focus for governments which aim to improve
the performance of their health system. I love to go to a private doctor..
SONGSOPTOK: Are charitable and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO)
active in the domain of public health? If yes, then in what spheres? Do you
think that the civil society, either independently or through these
organizations, should become the prime actor for ensuring healthcare for all?
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: What ever works should
be in play for healthcare.. We do have charitable organizations that come into
play when there is a need. International
NGOs active in the field of economic and social development ... for
association with the United Nations Department of Public Information
(DPI). ... depend, in whole or
in part, on charitable donations and voluntary service. I am not real custom to NGOs this is all I know of it..
SONGSOPTOK: Do you think that multinational pharmaceutical and
healthcare companies are responsible, to a certain extent, for the widely
variable quality of healthcare in different countries? Can you please
illustrate your reply with some examples?
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: If you are asking if the pharmaceutical companies are way to
expensive and yes I would say absolutely.. Yesss!! Suggestions of causes of the current
challenge of rapidly rising costs in relation to quality of outcomes, at least
by the imperfect measure of life causes of the current challenge of rapidly
rising costs in relation to quality of outcomes, at least by the imperfect measure
of life expectancy, included waste in the system as well as fraud. I know of several senior citizens that are
not able to buy their medicine even with
their health care paying some of it.. so they choose to go without medicine .
SONGSOPTOK: Do you think that adopting the Social Security model
implemented in a lot of countries in Europe which ensures primary health
coverage to all citizens and is financed by the totality of the working
population can be relevant and efficient in all countries?
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: United States have
Social Security in fact I am at the age that I received it every month.. All my
life while I worked I put my share from my paycheck into the program. Now I get
so much back a month that I am retired. This program is very efficient if it is
used just for what it is suppose to be for...There are a few flaws in the
system but all in all it has worked over the years..
DEBORAH BROOKS LANGFORD: AUTHOR AND
POETESS. SHE WRITES UNDER THE PEN NAME BROOKE DYLAN. SHE IS AN AUTHOR OF 31
BOOKS. SHE LIVES IN THE UNITED STATES. LOVES TO TRAVEL AND MEET NEW PEOPLE AND
GET TO KNOW THEIR CULTURES. A MOTHER AND A GRANDMOTHER. SHE ENJOYS LIFE.
We sincerely thank you
for your time and hope we shall have your continued support.
Aparajita
Sen
(Editor:
Songsoptok)
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