Int J Health Serv
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There is a growing interest in health policy in the social determinants of health. This has increased the demand for a paradigm shift within the discipline of health economics from health care economics to health economics. While the former involves what is essentially a medical model that emphasizes the maximization of individual health outcomes and considers the social organization of the health system as merely instrumental, the latter emphasizes that health and its distribution result from political, social, economic, and cultural structures. ⋯ Especially is this the case in Africa and other low- and middle-income regions. This article seeks to provide empirical evidence from sub-Saharan Africa, including Ghana and Nigeria, on why such inequalities exist, arguing that these are in large part a product of hangovers from historically entrenched institutions. It argues that there is a need for research in health economics to embrace the social determinants of health, especially inequality, and to move away from its current mono-cultural focus.
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Is the practice of UK patients traveling to India as medical tourists morally justified? This article addresses that question by examining three ethically relevant issues. First, the key factor motivating citizens of the United Kingdom to seek medical treatment in India is identified and analyzed. Second, the life prospects of the majority of the citizens of the two nations are compared to determine whether the United Kingdom is morally warranted in relying on India to meet the medical needs of its citizens. Third, as neoliberal reforms are justified on the grounds that they will help the indigent populations affected by them, the impact of medical tourism--a neoliberal initiative--on India's socially and economically marginalized groups is scrutinized.
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The objective of this article is to investigate whether the Chinese government's pricing policies have reduced pharmaceutical expenses. The purchasing records for systemic antibacterial drugs of 12 hospitals in Beijing from 1996 to 2005 were analyzed by separating the expenditure growth into three components: the price change, the volume change, and the structure change. ⋯ It is insufficient to rely only on pricing policies to reduce drug expenses, given that physicians could circumvent the policy by prescribing more expensive drugs. In addition, physician behaviors need to be regulated to eliminate unnecessary overprescribing.
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Harmonizing standards on drug regulation makes sense, but it must protect safety, ensure that only drugs that are truly effective are marketed, and protect a country's ability to act independently. The main driving force behind international harmonization is the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH). When it comes to safety, the ICH has been harmonizing to the lowest common denominator. ⋯ When it comes to transparency, Health Canada has chosen to adopt the more restrictive European Union model rather than the more open process used by the United States. Finally, there are a number of areas in which Health Canada has chosen not to harmonize, and in each case the decision is in the direction of lower safety standards. Harmonization could be of benefit to Canada, but the evidence to date suggests that Health Canada been harmonizing down rather than up.
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The Conservative-led government in the United Kingdom is embarking on massive changes to the National Health Service in England. These changes will create a competitive market in both purchasing and provision. Although the opposition Labour Party has stated its intention to repeal the legislation when it regains power, this may be difficult because of provisions of competition law derived from international treaties. Yet there is an alternative, illustrated by the decision of the devolved Scottish government to reject competitive markets in health care.