Spotlight On Remote Area Medical’s Super-Clinic
Last week, thousands of people waited patiently in line; some had turned up hours earlier and camped overnight in order to see a doctor or dentist, but this image did not come from a rural community in a developing country; it came from Wise County in West Virginia, USA.
Most people assume that America, as one of the world’s richest and most successful nations, does not have problems with access to health and dental care, but this could not be further from the truth, as demonstrated by the fact that people are willing to travel hundreds of miles and queue in unpleasant weather conditions just to see a doctor or dentist.
In the UK many of us take the health system for granted; if we are ill, we have toothache or we need treatment of some form, we simply ring the doctor or dentist, make an appointment and then visit the relevant surgery, where care is provided, usually without charge. In the case of dentistry, charges apply, but they are heavily subsidised and care is available free of charge for certain members of the community. In the USA the story is very different, hence the growing popularity of free clinics, such as the Wise County event hosted by Remote Area Medical. Healthcare is not available free of charge and most people pay monthly premiums for health insurance to cover the cast of the care they need; however, a growing number of people are struggling to afford insurance and with the average cost of a filing between $100 and $200, it’s no wonder that people are staying away from the dentist. The most recent figures show that 49.9 million Americans did not have insurance in 2010.
Remote Area Medical was originally set up to provide aid for Central and South America but the founders recognised that there was a real need for treatment at home in America and they have been running free clinics since the 1990’s.
Last week, an army of volunteers provided care for around 1,700 people; many of whom would have gone without the treatment they needed and suffered subsequent pain and discomfort, without the charity.
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