Similar challenges face healthcare systems around the globe. Some countries have come up with clever solutions that could benefit others.
Treating a hospital like a factory might not sound a promising approach, but it is one way to make complex heart operations more efficient without increasing risks. The Narayana Hrudayalaya health system in Bangalore has improved its cardiac surgeries by copying Japan’s approach to car-making. By allocating the various preparatory and surgical stages to teams with relevant skills and training, the region’s main hospital now conducts more surgeries than some top US sites, with equal or better results.
Communication is everything. After an elderly woman with breathing difficulties had to talk to 36 healthcare workers before receiving treatment, the County Jönköping Council in Sweden decided to reform how it deals with elderly patients. By getting different parts of the health system to talk to each other, they were able to coordinate and simplify the path to treatment. Admissions were cut by almost 22 per cent over five years, and many waiting times for referrals have dropped from 48 days or more to just two weeks.
Cuba does more with less. Despite having been under US sanctions for decades, people in the country have similar life expectancies to US citizens. The island has one of the highest concentrations of doctors in the world, with a family physician living every four blocks, seeing patients from their house, serving about 300 local families. Regular visits mean health problems tend to be diagnosed early and vaccination rates are among the highest in the world.
Read more: “NHS game-changers: The key challenges to healthcare“
This article appeared in print under the headline “Global healthcare: How countries can help each other”