IELTS Task 2 - please review

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Healthcare should not be provided for free regardless of a person’s income. The health of a person is in their own hands and they should, therefore, be held accountable for that.

Do you agree with this opinion?

It is argued that medical services should not be offered for free to any individual, irrespective of their financial capability, as it is personal neglect that leads to most ailments. I disagree with the argument as there are elderly people and accident victims who need medical care due to situations not really in their control and depending on their economic status, may need financial assistance.

Senior citizens are highly vulnerable and susceptible to diseases and may need to make a lot of hospital visits. As most of them would be retired by that age, without financial assistance from other sources, they will find it very difficult to avail the required medical services. Studies by the Indian Medical Association has shown that 85% of the elderly people who visit hospitals are reliant on various government schemes as they cannot afford to pay their medical bills. Therefore, making geriatric care free or highly subsidized is a necessary step that health authorities need to take.

Road or job related hazards are not events that are under anyone’s control. Depending on the severity of the incident, the expenses for treating the victim could be very high. As these are not planned for, the families of the victims may find it difficult to quickly arrange for funds to cover the treatment costs. An article in the Times of India showed that the hospital bills of 60% of the occupational hazards were more than 5 Lakh rupees and 80% of the victims couldn’t pay the amount that remained after Insurance provided by their employers. Thus, providing access to free medical care for travel or occupational mishaps is a necessity.

To conclude, despite the best efforts from people to maintain personal well being, there are situations where a hospital visit cannot be avoided and such a visit may throw up expenses that a person may not be able to afford. Free hospital services in such situations will relieve people from worrying about financial burden on top of their already worrying health issues.