Health Care Systems : A Global Survey

Health care systems (HCSs) are essential for the healthy development of individuals, families and societies in accordance with human rights. HCSs are vital to establish, promote, and strengthen delivery of preventive, promotive and curative health services to all sections of society in a fair and equitable manner. The present volume contains 27 well-researched papers on HCSs in different countries of the world. The distinguished contributors have direct knowledge and experience of the functioning of HCS in their respective country. The countries profiled for the purpose are: US, Australia, China, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Mexico, Pakistan, Peru, Thailand, Turkey, Bangladesh, Ghana, and India. While treatment of the subject varies from country to country depending upon the local conditions and government policies, some common features are discernible in different papers. These include (a) history and present organisational structure/management of HCS, (b) health care financing and resource utilisation, (c) targeted health care programmes for poor, (d) health infrastructure, (e) indigenous/traditional HCS, (f) occupational health and (g) health sector reforms.