The quality of medical care available for the people is extremely important. It remains one of the most significant factors that define the standards of living for the members of the society. If we digress into a subject of dental care, it becomes clear that there is certain lack of resources. It often acts as an obstacle on the path of improving the quality of dental care and making it available for the people belonging to different social layers. Speaking about the problems connected to the sphere of dental care, it is also necessary to take into consideration its values. On the whole, this problem can be considered as urgent for our society. This is why many researchers work on it and propose the solutions that are beneficial for dental care and make a contribution into its development. Some of the decisions aimed at making dental care more available involve resource allocation considering utilitarian values and increasing people’s consciousness when it comes to their health.
There are a few models that are supposed to be effective when it comes to providing more people with proper dental care. For example, in their article devoted to the system of medical care in the United States, Elfenbein, Miller, and Milakovich (1994) discuss the peculiarities of allocation of medical resources. Nowadays, there is certain mismatch between the resources available and the number of people who need help. Due to that, the method of allocation becomes very important for the healthcare. Nevertheless, it is common knowledge that people holding different positions in the society can be unequal when it comes to access to quality medical care. The authors mention the way of resource allocation based on principles of utilitarian ethics. Allocating the resources, the government has to make a decision that would be helpful for the majority of the people. For instance, model based on utilitarian principles involves giving pride of place to those healthcare problems that affect everyone. Unfortunately, following this model, the government has no opportunity to support those who suffer from specific problems and need quite an expensive treatment. Nevertheless, it can turn out to be beneficial for the availability of medical care for those suffering from the most common health issues. Within this framework, we can speak about an increased focus of healthcare system on the importance of public interest and the welfare of the whole community. The principle that this model works in accordance with requires us to single out the values and the needs that unite the majority of the people, and then use this knowledge to distribute the resources properly.
In another opinion, increasing dental care availability is impossible without people’s contribution. According to Fleck (2012), there are many cases when health issues are caused by patients’ inattentiveness and negligent attitude towards their health. Consequently, a lot of healthcare costs can be avoided. Instead, more money can be spent on providing help to those people who suffer from the issues that do not depend upon the level of their health consciousness. Fleck claims that many cases of major illnesses are avoidable (p. 5). Due to that, providing more people with proper medical services in many spheres including dental care involves increasing people’s awareness of the risks connected to a lack of responsibility for their health. Public education together with considering the needs of the majority present an effective way to increase dental care availability for the people.
References
Elfenbein, P., Miller, J. B., & Milakovich, M. (1994). Medical resource allocation: Rationing and ethical considerations. Physician Executive, 20(2), 3-8.
Fleck, L. (2012). Whoopie pies, supersized fries: Just snacking? Just desserts? Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 21(1), 5-19.