The United Kingdom has four different health care systems, including the National Health Service (NHS) England, NHS Wales, NHS Scotland, and Social Services and Public Safety (Northern Ireland). In addition, the UK government sets the England health budget and gives grants to the other three states under the parliament approval (Tunstall, 2018). On the other hand, Saudi Arabia has a universal health care system controlled by the Ministry of Health.
Although Saudi Arabia is considered a developing country, its health care system is ranked higher compared to other nations but with prospect of improving. On the other hand, the UK system remains the best health care compared to other developed countries (Tunstall, 2018). The patients pay for the services received in the UK setup, while the government funds the healthcare system in Saudi Arabia.
The UK health care uses technology in various operations, including recording keeping and medical procedures. On the contrary, the Saudi Medicare system is characterized by inadequate technology with outdated hardware and software, which lacks centralized communication (Almlki, Fitzgerald, & Clark, 2011). Additionally, Saudi hospitals have not adopted the latest medical equipment in the provision of medical care to their patients.
On the other hand, in both health structures, it is the role of the government to design and implement health care policies. In addition, the highest percentage of funding in both systems comes from the government. The UK medical system ensures that health care services are available to citizens, regardless of their social status (Tunstall, 2018). Similarly, in Saudi Arabia, the health care services are accessible and free of charge to all people.
Despite being ranked as the best health care system, the UK system faces funding challenges. Consequently, the NHS may not sustain the provision of quality care. Therefore, the government should seek new sources of funds, including additional taxation to fund the sector. In Saudi Arabia, the government might not sustain the budget due to the rising population and increasing number of older people (Almlki, Fitzgerald, & Clark, 2011). Hence, the Saudi Arabian government should come up with an insurance plan for all its citizens and adopt technology to enhance service delivery.
References
Almalki, M., Fitzgerald, G. & Clark, M. (2011). Health care system in Saudi Arabia: An overview. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal.
Tunstall, L. (2018). The UK health care system. Evidence Network. Retrieved from https://evidencenetwork.ca/the-uk-health-care-system/