Reforming China's Rural Health System Wagstaff, Adam; Wang, Shiyong; Lindelow, Magnus ...
The World Bank eBooks,
2009, 06-15-2009, 20090101
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Since 1978 when it embarked on sweeping agricultural and industrial reforms, Chinas economic growth has been remarkable. Its success in transforming itself within just three decades from a very poor ...low-income country to a successful middle-income country is unparalleled. During this period, however, and in contrast to the first 30 years of the Peoples Republic, progress in the health sector has been disappointing. For example, during the period 1980-2007, China increased its income per head as a percentage of the OECD average from 3 percent to 15 per cent, but infant mortality fell no faster in China than in the OECD area. Government spending on health grew in real terms, but in contrast to the pattern seen in other countries, the share of GDP allocated to government health spending stayed unchanged in China despite 30 years of economic growth of over 8 per cent per year. Household out-of-pocket spending increased to fill the gap, rising as a share of total health spending from 20 per cent in 1978 to over 60 per cent in 2000. This left many households doing without care when they needed it, and others incurring expenses so large they were driven into poverty. In 2003, as part of its program of balanced development and harmonious society, the government began launching a series of policy reforms in the rural health sector where spending and policy reform had lagged. This book examines the performance and workings of the rural health system leading up to these reforms, outlines the reforms, and presents some early evidence on their impacts. It goes on to outline ideas for building on these reforms to further strengthen Chinas rural health system, covering health financing and health insurance, service delivery, and public health. Health systems often get locked into certain reform paths. The final part of the book therefore uses the
experiences of the OECD countries to gaze into Chinas future; it asks not only what Chinas health system might look like, but also how China might get there from where it is today.
The goals of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) are to ensure that all people can access quality health services, to safeguard all people from public health risks, and to protect all people from ...impoverishment due to illness, whether from out-of-pocket payments for health care or loss of income when a household member falls sick. Countries as diverse as Brazil, France, Japan, Thailand, and Turkey that have achieved UHC are showing how these programs can serve as vital mechanisms for improving the health and welfare of their citizens, and lay the foundation for economic growth and competitiveness grounded in the principles of equity and sustainability. Ensuring universal access to affordable, quality health services will be an important contribution to ending extreme poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity in low income and middle-income countries (LMICs), where most of the worlds poor live.
The politics and science of health and disease remain contested terrain among scientists, health practitioners, policy makers, industry, communities, and the public. Stakeholders in disputes about ...illnesses or conditions disagree over their fundamental causes as well as how they should be treated and prevented. This thought-provoking book crosses disciplinary boundaries by engaging with both public health policy and social science, asserting that science, activism, and policy are not separate issues and showing how the contribution of environmental factors in disease is often overlooked.
Indonesia has made improving the access to health workers, especially in rural areas, and improving the quality of health provider's key priority areas of its next five-year development plan. ...Significant steps and policy changes were taken to improve the distribution of the health workforce, in particular the contracted doctors program and later the contracted midwives program, but few studies have been undertaken to measure the actual impact of these policies and programs. This book is part of the inputs prepared at the request of the government of Indonesia's national development agency, Bappenas, to inform the development of the next national development plan 2010-14. Other inputs include reports on health financing, fiscal space for health, health public expenditure review, and assessments of maternal health and pharmaceuticals. Study findings highlight the importance not only of improving the supply of health care, but also of improving quality, so as to improve health outcomes. Over the period studied, important gains in the determinants of health outcomes have occurred in Indonesia. At the same time, however, the study shows that Indonesia, despite the significant gains, continues to suffer from serious challenges in the number and distribution, and in particular the quality, of its health workers.
In this book by the award-winning author of Just Healthcare, Norman Daniels develops a comprehensive theory of justice for health that answers three key questions: what is the special moral ...importance of health? When are health inequalities unjust? How can we meet health needs fairly when we cannot meet them all? Daniels' theory has implications for national and global health policy: can we meet health needs fairly in ageing societies? Or protect health in the workplace while respecting individual liberty? Or meet professional obligations and obligations of justice without conflict? When is an effort to reduce health disparities, or to set priorities in realising a human right to health, fair? What do richer, healthier societies owe poorer, sicker societies? Just Health: Meeting Health Needs Fairly explores the many ways that social justice is good for the health of populations in developed and developing countries.
Ghana has committed politically, legislatively, and fiscally to providing universal health insurance coverage for its population with the intent of reducing financial barriers to utilization of ...health care.. However, under current cost and enrollment projections the system will not be financially sustainable in the long term, so there is more work to do. This book provides an important evidence-based review of the current performance of Ghana's health system and options for reform. As such, it provides an overall picture of the Ghana health sector, how things were and how things have changed, as well as a situational analysis of the performance of the health delivery and health financing systems using the latest available data. Finally, it discusses key reform issues and options in the context of the country's likely fiscal space. An important and valuable contribution of this book is its examination of how Ghana is performing compared to its neighboring countries and compared to other countries with similar incomes and health spending, providing global benchmarks for Ghana's health system performance.
Specialist groups have often advised health ministers and other decision makers in developing countries on the use of social health insurance (SHI) as a way of mobilizing revenue for health, ...reforming health sector performance, and providing universal coverage. This book reviews the specific design and implementation challenges facing SHI in low- and middle-income countries and presents case studies on Ghana, Kenya, Philippines, Colombia, and Thailand.
The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People Institute of Medicine; Board on the Health of Select Populations; Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Issues and Research Gaps and Opportunities
03/2011
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At a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals-often referred to under the umbrella acronym LGBT-are becoming more visible in society and more socially acknowledged, clinicians ...and researchers are faced with incomplete information about their health status. While LGBT populations often are combined as a single entity for research and advocacy purposes, each is a distinct population group with its own specific health needs. Furthermore, the experiences of LGBT individuals are not uniform and are shaped by factors of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographical location, and age, any of which can have an effect on health-related concerns and needs.
The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People assesses the state of science on the health status of LGBT populations, identifies research gaps and opportunities, and outlines a research agenda for the National Institute of Health. The report examines the health status of these populations in three life stages: childhood and adolescence, early/middle adulthood, and later adulthood. At each life stage, the committee studied mental health, physical health, risks and protective factors, health services, and contextual influences. To advance understanding of the health needs of all LGBT individuals, the report finds that researchers need more data about the demographics of these populations, improved methods for collecting and analyzing data, and an increased participation of sexual and gender minorities in research.
The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People is a valuable resource for policymakers, federal agencies including the National Institute of Health (NIH), LGBT advocacy groups, clinicians, and service providers.
One Nation, Uninsured offers a vividly written history of America's failed efforts to address the health care needs of its citizens. Covering the entire twentieth century, Jill Quadagno shows how ...each attempt to enact national health insurance was met with fierce attacks by powerful stakeholders, who mobilized their considerable resources to keep the financing of health care out of the government's hands.
Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors Lopez, Alan D; Mathers, Colin D; Ezzati, Majid ...
The World Bank eBooks,
2006, 04-02-2006, 2006-02-04, 20060101
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This volume is a single up-to-date source on the entire global epidemiology of diseases, injuries and risk factors with a comprehensive statement of methods and a complete presentation of results. It ...includes refined methods to assess data, ensure epidemiological consistency, and summarize the disease burden. Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors examines the comparative importance of diseases, injuries, and risk factors; it incorporates a range of new data sources to develop consistent estimates of incidence, prevalence, severity and duration, and mortality for 136 major diseases and injuries. Drawing from more than 8,500 data sources that include epidemiological studies, disease registers, and notifications systems, Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors incorporates information from more than 10,000 datasets relating to population health and mortality, representing one of the largest syntheses of global information on population health to date.
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