The challenge to public health services in economically poor countries

Question

The challenge to public health services in economically poor countries lies in providing primary health care to satisfy the minimum health needs of rural populations. Assistance from advanced nations, however, has often adversely influenced the development of health services because most aid programs do not recognize the priorities involved in the health needs of developing countries.

Assistance programs, with their concern for visibility, frequently include ill-adapted showpieces such as large hospitals, advanced technical apparatus, and specialized training in clinical medicine and surgery. In promoting complicated and expensive projects, outside aid programs dissipate local resources and skilled manpower and perpetuate dependency of poorer nations on the advanced nations. Developing countries need to improve their sanitary systems, provide for adequate nutrition, and immunize their people against communicable diseases.  Experience has shown that even programs only partially meeting these needs result in a dramatic reduction of infant mortality and an increase in life expectancy.

A crucial factor for the success of such programs is to provide large numbers of minimally trained individuals who can mobilize the self-help capacities of the people and who can maximize the benefits of whatever health resources are available. A pyramidal structure with a wide base of minimally trained workers, covering even rural areas, with referral of more serious cases to progressively more complex medical institutions, leading to an apex of highly specialized medical and surgical facilities, would provide the health care system most appropriate to developing countries.

In training physicians from developing countries, the major error has been the insistence on levels of competence and areas of study relevant to the advanced countries. Both the medical schools and the authorities of the countries that provide such training have failed to recognize that advanced countries have medical needs markedly different from those of developing countries. This has led to a loss of physicians in developing countries because of the frustrations highly skilled physicians feel upon returning to countries that are unable to satisfy their misplaced expectations. The answer lies in promoting medical education in developing countries that is appropriate to the priorities and essential needs of those countries.  
 1  
 1) According to the passage, a successful medical system in a developing country will have a large number of

A) physicians specializing in urban diseases
B) men or women with limited medical training
C) administrators with experience in managing hospitals and clinics
D) dentists specializing in oral surgery
E) technicians familiar with the latest laboratory equipment

2  
 2) Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously undermine the author’s arguments against expensive assistance programs?

A) People in developing countries have illnesses that are different from those that people in advanced countries have.
B) Advanced countries contribute to a more equal distribution of wealth when they donate medical facilities to other countries.
C) Expensive assistance programs provide useful technical knowledge for use in developing countries.
D) Expensive assistance programs train highly qualified doctors and technicians from both developing countries and advanced countries. 
E) Expensive assistance programs improve all medical services available in developing countries.

3  
 3) The author’s statements on infant mortality and life expectancy are apparently supported by evidence that is

A) fragmented
B) economic
C) hypothetical
D) empirical
E) biased

ID 16907

PassageRookie · Accepted Answer

1) According to the passage, a successful medical system in a developing country will have a large number of

A) physicians specializing in urban diseases -  The main concern is health needs of rural populations as it is stated in the first paragrapgh. 
B) men or women with limited medical training -   Correct answer.   -  First line in the third paragraph gives out the answer.  
C) administrators with experience in managing hospitals and clinics -  Out of scope.  
D) dentists specializing in oral surgery -  Out of scope 
E) technicians familiar with the latest laboratory equipment -  Since it's for rural populations of developing countries, author disagrees with this statement in the second paragraph 2-3 lines.

2) Which of the following statements, if true, would most seriously undermine the author’s arguments against expensive assistance programs?

A) People in developing countries have illnesses that are different from those that people in advanced countries have. -Author clearly agrees with that statement '' advanced countries have medical needs markedly different from those of developing countries . ''

B) Advanced countries contribute to a more equal distribution of wealth when they donate medical facilities to other countries.-  This doesn't effect author's argument.

C) Expensive assistance programs provide useful technical knowledge for use in developing countries.-  Shown in the first lines of paragraph 3, this supports the author's claim

D) Expensive assistance programs train highly qualified doctors and technicians from both developing countries and advanced countries.-  As stated in the third paragraph doing this will
result in loss of physicians in developing countries thus it's not correct.

E) Expensive assistance programs improve all medical services available in developing countries. -   Correct answer.   
From the second paragrapgh.
 
If assistance programs improve  all  medical services that solves the program.

3) The author’s statements on infant mortality and life expectancy are apparently supported by evidence that is

A) fragmented -incorrect 
B) economic -incorrect 
C) hypothetical -incorrect 
D) empirical -  Correct answer -  As it begins with ' 'Experience has shown''  we can see that observation takes place.
E) biased -incorrect

GMATNinja · Answer

Question 2 
 
Question 2 asks for the answer choice that " most seriously  undermines the author’s arguments against expensive assistance programs."

In other words, we're looking for the answer choice that deals the  biggest  blow to the author's argument.

With that in mind, take a look at (C):
 
The author thinks that expensive programs do not address the ACTUAL needs of developing countries, and instead focus on flashy showpieces such as "large hospitals, advanced technical apparatus, and specialized training in clinical medicine and surgery."

So, the author ALREADY believes that expensive programs offer technical knowledge. However, he/she thinks that this technical knowledge misses the point and drains resources away from the real problems facing developing countries.

His/her argument isn't really undermined by the fact that expensive programs provide technical training. Even if that training seems nice on a surface level, it actually causes other issues in the healthcare system as a whole.

(C) is out.

Here's (E):
 
If (E) were true, then expensive assistance programs would be pretty awesome for developing countries. The author argues that these programs draw resources away from the real issues, but if in fact they improve ALL medical services available, then they would indeed help out with the things that author finds to be important: immunization, nutrition, etc.

(E) undermines the author's vendetta against expensive aid programs, so (E) is the correct answer.

I hope that helps!

Sandy7793 · Answer

Hello, can you please tell me how you post multiple questions with timer for 1 single passage. I have some good set of questions to post, but am not familiar with GMATCLUB website. It will be helpful. Thanks

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Welcome to GMAT Club! Read the rules in the post below in the link thoroughly and see the screen shots I hope you will get it. https://gmatclub.com/forum/rc-forum-rul ... 55874.html Thank you!

mSKR · Answer

Author says that assistance program by developed countries include some ill- adapted items that would make dependency on developing nations on developed nations because of skilled man power and specialized resources needed to run these items.

So instead of these assistance program, developing countries need to focus on basic things first: sanitation , nutrition and immunization.

In summary , author claim tends to say that :  these assistance program are not much helpful for developing countries,

Question:  Weaken the author claim

Pre-thinking:  Assistance programs are actually bringing value to developing countries

Irrelevant: Different illness different discussion; no effect on conclusion

Out of scope: No effect on conclusion

But it may still bring dependency on developed nations. So not weakening

But how does it add value to developing countries in terms of improving heat.

-  correct 
This option hits the conclusion directly, so these assistance program would be helpful for common people. It would add value to improve basic things: sanitation , nutrition and immunization.
( its given “all” in the option. It sounds too extreme but that’s what we need accept as true)

Sandy7793 · Answer

Thank you sir, I get it now

Sandy7793 · Answer

Sir, i can't see RC Timer when posting questions.
I use ' 1[/rc_timer before the question but it doesn't show up when I preview or submit the question.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Hi

Above code misses the bracket (" ] ") at the end.

Thank you

Sandy7793 · Answer

Sajjad1994 
I know sir, but even when i write rc_timer with brackets properly, i still can't see the timer to my questions. Can you please take a look at the questions i posted and see if there is timer you can see. If not, can you give me a solution?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Please post the question you want, I will look into it if code didn't work. One thing you have to keep in mind is that post the GMAT RC questions (having 5 answer choices) and if you have RC questions from CAT test then post them into the CAT verbal forum.

Thank you

Sandy7793 · Answer

Sajjad1994 Here's the question sir https://gmatclub.com/forum/fantasy-has- ... l#p2728088 Also, i cannot find the CAT forum. Please provide me a link to the CAT forum. Thank you

Brucewayne00726 · Answer

Sajjad1994 ,

Can you please share the official explanation for question number 2?

Sajjad1994 · Answer

OE is not available please read the explanation posted already in the link below and let us know if this make sense. https://gmatclub.com/forum/the-challeng ... l#p2568308 Best.

tkorzhan1995 · Answer

GMATNinja , for q2 , can you please clarify why C should be eliminated?
I eliminated E originally because I did not identify what medical services are discussed in the passage. Will the following items be examples of medical services: improve sanitary system, provide nutrition, immunize people against diseases?

VerbalBot · Answer

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The challenge to public health services in economically poor countries

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The challenge to public health services in economically poor countries

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