Yesterday, I spoke at a small programming conference and saw how the organizers were collecting 50 hryvnias to help children with cancer. It’s a good cause, I gave 100 hryvnias. And then I asked, why do we have to collect money? Why doesn’t the state, to which we pay taxes for this purpose, cover the children’s treatment? The answer was obvious - everyone is stealing there, and the children get nothing, the only hope is in kind-hearted people. Let’s figure out if there is any real kindness in our actions.
Healthcare in Ukraine is indeed free. In the recently adopted budget for 2017, the Ministry of Health will receive 62 billion hryvnias (8.6% of the budget and 2.7% of the GDP). At the current exchange rate of the dollar to the hryvnia - this is $2.4 billion. There are 42 million people living in Ukraine. That means, $57 dollars will be spent on each of us in 2017.
Apparently, with this money, Ukraine will continue to successfully maintain its first place in the world in the list of countries by natural population decline and still not enter the top 50 countries in the healthcare efficiency ranking.
Let’s compare with Singapore, which ranks second in this rating. Singapore spends 4.9% of its GDP on healthcare, which is $2752 per Singaporean. This is 48 times more than our government plans to spend in 2017 on one Ukrainian.
How about other countries?
In this table, it can be seen that different countries spend different shares of their GDP on treating their citizens: from “negligible” 2% in Qatar to 13% in the Netherlands and a huge 17% in the USA. However, in these three countries, healthcare is in order. So, it’s not about the percentage, but apparently about the absolute dollar figure per citizen: in Ukraine, it’s $57, while in Qatar it’s $572, in Singapore $2572, in South Korea $2060, in Japan $3703, in Israel $2910, and in Switzerland it’s over $6100.
However, these are all developed countries. Let’s look at the numbers for developing countries: in Pakistan $23, in Kenya $34, in Cambodia $36, in India $40, in Vietnam $58, and so on. Obviously, Ukraine currently occupies an honorable place among the poorest countries in the world, surpassing them all in terms of natural population decline. In other words, things are going very, very badly.
Now, let’s return to the issue of charity. Obviously, with such a situation in the country, created consistently over twenty years by the presidents and governments we elect, there is no hope for any adequate treatment for children with cancer.
Of course, we want to help them. However, think about the fact that by helping them, we are helping criminals to stay in power. Instead of highlighting the problem for its final solution, which would lead to qualitative changes in society and Ukraine’s exit from the list of poorest countries, by helping children from our own pockets, we cowardly and hypocritically hide the facts.
Children receive treatment thanks to our donations, while the degradation of the state apparatus continues.
Therefore, if you truly care about the fate of sick children, do not donate money for their treatment, but do something more radical that leads to real changes. By your donations, you only calm your conscience, while helping corrupt officials, the main enemies of sick children, to remain in power.
Translated by ChatGPT gpt-3.5-turbo/42 on 2024-04-20 at 14:42
