AUTHOR=Kumah Augustine 

TITLE=Healthcare Access vs. Quality Healthcare: Rethinking Healthcare Risks

JOURNAL=Public Health Reviews

VOLUME=Volume 46 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.ssph-journal.org/journals/public-health-reviews/articles/10.3389/phrs.2025.1607903

DOI=10.3389/phrs.2025.1607903

ISSN=2107-6952

ABSTRACT=There is an emerging argument that the risks associated with accessing healthcare in specific contexts may now outweigh the risks of having limited or no access to healthcare. This narrative literature review examines the global burden of mortalities due to poor quality care compared to mortalities resulting from lack of access to healthcare, focusing on the period from 2015 to 2024.Data was extracted from electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and Ebscohost. The results indicate that while progress in healthcare access has reduced mortality, the lack of corresponding improvements in care quality has led to a rising number of preventable deaths. The findings reveal a consistent decline in mortality due to lack of access. In contrast, mortality due to poor quality care has increased from 5 million in 2015 to an estimated 6 million by 2024, underscoring the persistent challenges in healthcare delivery, including medical errors, misdiagnoses, and inadequate treatment. The study concludes that addressing the dual challenges of access and quality is essential for reducing global mortality rates and achieving better health outcomes.