Resource Utilization in Cardiology

Abstract

Lately, a great deal of effort is being spent on understanding what are the driving forces determining resource utilization, cost effectiveness and cost curtailment in the health care services of the western countries. Countries with both socialized medicine and those with insurance based systems are doing this. The implications for fields like cardiology are an eye-opener for the whole world, including developing countries.Good scientific medicine is evidence based and must be relevant to the population being treated. It must be shown to produce the greatest good in the greatest number of this population. In addition, it must do this within the limits of available resources. While modern medicine particularly cardiology has a high cost, expensive treatment unfortunately may not necessarily translate into good and appropriate management.How do we ethically and scientifically ration resources in the public sector? Should newer and extremely expensive medications be registered in the country only to be barred from the public hospitals who cannot even afford the basic life saving drugs?