1. One Earth – Two Worlds of Health

"How can we provide the best health care for our people?" This is a question that every responsible society and government is attempting to answer. In the wealthy industrial nations, advances in drugs and medical technology have made possible new treat­ments for diseases that medical science could not hope to cure ear­lier this century. In these countries, doctors and patients expect the latest drugs and technology, regardless of cost. If they are not available to patients, angry protests are heard. In the countries of the Third World, however, the health problems that have priority are very different. Here over 9 million children die annually from treatable respiratory infections, from common, curable diarrhea, and from infectious childhood diseases like measles and whooping cough, diseases that have almost completely disappeared in the in­dustrial countries. In the same Third World countries, it is be­lieved that about 80 percent of all cases of illness are the result of contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.

It seems, therefore, that there are two worlds of medi­cine and that these two worlds have nothing in common with each other. The first world is concerned about diseases like heart disease and cancer, diseases that are often still incurable; the other world is concerned about diseases that would disappear if basic health programs could be afforded. The first world wants to provide the latest drugs and technology for that small section of the popu­lation who are ill; the other world needs to provide for the majority of its people the things the industrial world takes for granted – clean drinking water and a sufficient supply of essential drugs and basic vaccines. The immediate problems that face these two worlds seem very different. However, if we examine the problems and pos­sible solutions, we will see certain similarities as well as clear dif­ferences.

Main Idea Check

1. Check back for the meaning of in these countries.

2. Look for more differ­ences as you read the second passage.

3. Developing countries and industrial countries have very similar health problems. T / F

4. Modern drugs and high-tech medical equipment are the way to solve the health problems of developing countries. T / F

5. What is not true about the health-care systems of industrial countries?

a. Usually they need to serve only a small section of the population because only these people are ill.

b. They cannot afford basic vaccination programs.

c. They attempt to provide the most modern drugs and medical treatments.

d. Cancer and heart disease are two of their biggest problems.

6. What is not true about the health-care systems of developing countries?

a. Their most serious problems are diseases like heart disease and cancer.

b. They do not have adequate supplies of vaccines and essential drugs.

c. Their services are needed by enormous numbers of people.

d. The most urgent health problems that face them are no longer real prob­lems for the industrial countries.