It's not about the money(or is it?)

We can all agree that money makes the world go round.We'd all love to reside in a utopia that doesn't value the concept of money and we can all get anything that we want at the blink of an eye for no cost. Unfortunately, this is a world that neither me and you will ever live in. Until this changes, we have to simply make do with the fact that if you want a service or a product, you will need to fork out cash. Cash that you had to work for, of course.

Luckily, I live in a nation that, for the most part, follows the European Union's regulations and as such, our healthcare is free of charge here. In addition to that statement, one can also say that the quality of the care that is provided is adequate and although some critics will complain about the longer waiting times and lack of professionalism, no one can argue that free is always better than paying. Of course, this is not always the case in other countries. The United States can maintain that they provide one of the best health care facilities worldwide but the drawback is that it would cost you an arm and a leg. Maybe even two legs...

According to CNBC, in 2016, the United States had spent around 18% of its GDP on healthcare. Compared to other nations, this was double that of what they had spent. So where does this money go exactly? Wages, test costs and medical services take up the bulk of this. Doctors who work in hospitals can enjoy one of the highest wages and it only makes sense. Another contributor to this large amount spent is drugs. The recent COVID-19 outbreak has brought out the worst in some people, unfortunately, and some patients are reporting that their insulin is being sold at prices up to 350 dollars. A far cry from 1920 when the scientists that developed insulin sold the patent for insulin at just 1 dollar. It is quite a shame that the work of Frederick Banting and his aids cannot reach as many people as they would like.

"Insulin does not belong to me. It belongs to the world."- Frederick Banting

 

Call it greed or call it good business practice, no can deny that more and more people are struggling to keep up with their payments and the health of many is taking its toll. Despite my criticism of the Maltese government and its many wrongdoings, I will concede that there is at least one sector that hasn't been beaten and exploited and is working ever so hard for the people who need it.

How not to handle a bad situation 101

Impending doom, another war looming over our heads, fires in Australia and a new disease that's sending people all over the world in a mass panic. It's safe to say that 2020 (or the new decade if I may add) has not had the most inspiring start. Such bad situations are to be expected and with the media becoming much stronger than ever before, we are now faced with the issues of every nation on the planet. From a messy divorce between Great Britain and the European Union to the Australian Prime Minister making sure that every living being in Australia hates his guts, it's no wonder that politicians and companies spend thousands upon thousands on public relations to ensure that their reputation is preserved.

However, no amount of money can preserve sheer stupidity and downright awful decisions. The general public is a cruel entity and as the spirit of rebelling is alive in everyone of us, it's only natural that we fight for what we believe in. Even if it means being silenced, beaten to a pulp or outright murdered unfortunately, this is only inspires us even more. In fact, one can clearly notice that since Daphne Caruana Galizia was murdered, her work has gained her even more notoriety and now, her attempts at unraveling the corruption and crime in the Maltese system have become well-known all around the world.

The same can be said for the Hong Kong protests. What first started as a large-scale protest against the Chinese overlords, has evolved into riots that were previewed to every single user on the internet. So much for the Chinese government trying to silence the protesters...

No disease nor any threats will stop these protesters from fighting for what's right

The internet is probably one of the easiest ways of learning about the crises that are popping off in the world. Combined with the mobile phone which allows you to broadcast what's happening in front of your very eyes. Thus, it' easy to see why it has become so difficult to silence pretty much anything. In a matter of a few days, it became public knowledge that four people in Malta had been diagnosed with the COVID-19 virus. There was simply no point in trying to stifle this fact. People would have found out somehow and it would have only caused even more panic.

Nevertheless, only time will tell if the general public will grow more restless with the shortcomings of their leaders and if they will take matters in their own hands.