Voices of Chernobyl, Thesis Paper Example

Ukraine in the Time of Transition: An Evaluation of the Ukrainian Health Care System during Soviet Control and the Modern Era

The Ukraine has been going through a continuous transition since their independence in 1991. This transition implies the process of slow change that coincides with the country’s struggle, from revolting against the Soviet Union to obtain their unique national identity to the political issues it is facing with Russia in the modern era. Although the Ukraine is still suffering to a degree from political turmoil, life expectancy and an increase in standard of living has improved since gaining their independence. Nevertheless, cardiovascular disease and accidents due to heavy alcohol consumption are major public health burdens that harm the Ukrainian social fabric. A literature review will be used to analyze the transition of the Ukrainianhealth care system from the socialist to post-socialist system and the major changes that have occurred to public health will be determined.Focus will be placed on mental health care, general accessibility to medicine, the cost of health care, and the change in mortality rate for disease prevalent in this population, such as heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver, and cancer.

Introduction

In the Ukraine, health care is a right that is guaranteed to every citizen, although this has not been observed in practice. Care is currently provided for by a combination of state and private funding and there is little indication that the government will contribute money to improve the medical care that its citizens receive. Insurance is not a common practice among Ukrainian citizens, although they occasionally receive prepaid sickness funds that help alleviate the rising costs of becoming sick. However, most people are responsible for paying a majority of these medical expenses out-of-pocket. The Ukraine benefitted greatly during the Soviet regime due to the health care infrastructure that was built under socialist rule. These included hospitals, clinics for workers, retirement communities, and women’s clinics. However, the decline of Soviet rule has resulted in a lack of funding to continue to support these institutions, which are deteoriorating. Social aspects that contribute to the Ukraine’s inability to provide adequate medical care to its citizens are directly related to a negative economic impact that resulted from gaining independence from the Soviet Union. There is a significant lack of medicine and equipment, medical schools are underfunded, and health care providers are paid only small funds, which impacts the quality of care that their patients receive.

In order to improve the health of Ukrainian citizens, it is important to understand how health has transitioned in the time since Soviet control. Many of these issues are directly related to political differences; in Soviet Russia, the government was responsible for dispersing funds equally to treat workers who would get hurt on the job and to enhance the health of the nation to make it stronger. Once Soviet rule ended, the Ukraine was responsible for building its own infrastructure, a process that has occurred slowly and been undermined by disasters such as the nuclear accident at Chernobyl (World Health Organization).

A literature review will be conducted to determine the types of health problems that existed within the country during the presence of the socialist system and this information will be compared with public health research that has been conducted after 1991. This intent of this research is to reveal the main health problems that existed in the Ukraine both before and after 1991 in addition to the health issues that the Soviet regime believed to be the most important, which could be compared to the health issues that the modern Ukrainian government believes is the most important. This data will be further explored by evaluating public health databases in the country. Factors such as mental health care, general accessibility to medicine, the cost of health care, and the change in mortality rate for disease prevalent in this population, such as heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver, and cancer will be evaluated in socialist and post-socialist Ukraine.

Literature Review

Currently, there is a major HIV/AIDS outbreak in the Ukraine that has proved detrimental because it further impairs the country’s economic standing (DeBell& Carter 216). Researchers note the nation’s inability to deal with the spread of this disease as a marker of failure to successfully transition between the Soviet regime and independence. From 1987 to 1991, the Ukraine was under Soviet control and there was no report of HIV infection or death due to AIDS. In 2003, up to 10,000 cases of HIV infection were reported and there were more than 1,200 AIDS related deaths. It is essential to consider this data in light of the political climate of the Ukraine in addition to the medical reports. At first approach, this data appears to demonstrate that the incidence of HIV and AIDS has increased significantly since the fall of the Soviet regime and this may be due to the current government’s financial situation and inability to prevent the spread of the disease. This understanding indicates that the Soviet Union was much more capable of preventing the spread of disease and potentially treat it. On the other hand, it is possible that the Soviet Union simply failed to report the data in order to appear that it had this virus under control. This government may have also been slaughtering or quarantining infected individuals to prevent the spread of the disease. Since little is known about the inner workings of the Soviet regime, it is difficult to trust this data with complete certainty. Therefore, it is essential to compare the data presented in Impact of transition on public health in Ukraine: case study of the HIV/AIDS epidemicto other studies in order to thoroughly check the facts that are presented.

Works Cited

Block M. ‘Voices of Chernobyl’: Survivors’ Stories. 21 April 2006. Web.5 2014.

DeBell D, Carter R. “Impact of transition on public health in Ukraine: casestudy of the HIV/AIDS epidemic”. Education and debate 23 July 2005: 216-219. Print.

World Health Organization. World Health Organization report explains the health impacts of the          world’s worst-ever civil nuclear accident. 26 April 2006. Web. 5 June 2014.