CAM should be made readily available on publicly funded health programmes alongside conventional treatments. Discuss.
Nowadays, the development of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) is expedited. According to Campbell (2002, cited by Heller et al., 2005, p. 9), CAM, which has a long history of healing or connection with older ideas of medicine and health, provides plenty of options for treating illnesses and diseases. CAM should be considered as holistic one including three different levels: body, mind and spirit. This essay discusses the arguments for and against the availability of CAM on publicly funded health programme alongside conventional treatments. It presents different views from three standpoints: firstly, the government is concerned about regulation of CAM; secondly, the patients budget their payment both for CAM and conventional treatments; thirdly, the GPs and practitioners solicit for funding their practice.
If CAM were made funded available on public health programmes, the controversial issue for the government would be the standard regulations of CAM. The first consideration is that not all CAM is safe and practical. There is evidence to suggest that CAM which has been proved more beneficial than detrimental, could be used widely and be made readily available on publicly funded health programmes (Ernst and Pittler, et al., 2001 cited by Ernst, E., 2005, p. 274, 426). However, Ernst (2005) also states “For other forms of complementary medicine (CM), the evidence fails to show convincingly that CM works better than placebos or conventional treatments”(p. 274, 426). Secondly, it can be argued that if the CAM is funded, the cost effectiveness would depend on the standard regulations of government and the patient demand of CAM. Even if the government tried to improve the standard regulations of CAM, the cost effectiveness would be influenced by the unpredictable fluctuation of patient demand. Therefore, although it is a challenge to the... [continues]
Nowadays, the development of Complementary Alternative Medicine (CAM) is expedited. According to Campbell (2002, cited by Heller et al., 2005, p. 9), CAM, which has a long history of healing or connection with older ideas of medicine and health, provides plenty of options for treating illnesses and diseases. CAM should be considered as holistic one including three different levels: body, mind and spirit. This essay discusses the arguments for and against the availability of CAM on publicly funded health programme alongside conventional treatments. It presents different views from three standpoints: firstly, the government is concerned about regulation of CAM; secondly, the patients budget their payment both for CAM and conventional treatments; thirdly, the GPs and practitioners solicit for funding their practice.
If CAM were made funded available on public health programmes, the controversial issue for the government would be the standard regulations of CAM. The first consideration is that not all CAM is safe and practical. There is evidence to suggest that CAM which has been proved more beneficial than detrimental, could be used widely and be made readily available on publicly funded health programmes (Ernst and Pittler, et al., 2001 cited by Ernst, E., 2005, p. 274, 426). However, Ernst (2005) also states “For other forms of complementary medicine (CM), the evidence fails to show convincingly that CM works better than placebos or conventional treatments”(p. 274, 426). Secondly, it can be argued that if the CAM is funded, the cost effectiveness would depend on the standard regulations of government and the patient demand of CAM. Even if the government tried to improve the standard regulations of CAM, the cost effectiveness would be influenced by the unpredictable fluctuation of patient demand. Therefore, although it is a challenge to the... [continues]
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