World hospitals and health services : the official journal of the International Hospital Federation
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World Hosp Health Serv · Jan 2004
Comparative StudyMarket principles in health care and social security policy in Japan.
Although health care in Japan is under the management of an obligatory insurance system, it is within the framework of a capitalist economy, and has helped achieve longevity during the post-war period. However, average lifetime has been improving in western European and Asian countries that have developed later. It has also been said that higher longevity is not necessarily due only to health care but also to the enhancement of environmental health achieved by economic improvements. ⋯ It was the market economy upon which health care depended that collapsed. Therefore, one must not consider that health care is subordinate to the economy. Without corrections in the failure of the market economy and in the 'trickle down' economic ideology, health care and social welfare cannot be established on a worldwide basis--the medical community should now take a leading position to emphasize this point.
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World Hosp Health Serv · Jan 2004
The World Health Channel: an innovation for health and development.
The issues of the digital divide and of accessing health information in areas of greatest need has been addressed by many. It has been a key component of the discussion of the World Summit for the Information Society and also the focus of an important new initiative, the Global Review for Health Information. Only approximately 1 in 700 people in Africa have internet access compared to a rate worldwide of approximately 10%. ⋯ There is also a need for increased communication and collaboration between governmental and non-governmental organisations working in international health to share education, resources and to coordinate efforts in areas supporting improved health care delivery. In recognition of this, the Institute for Sustainable Health Education and Development (www.ished.org) is launching the World Health Channel (WHC) in the spring of 2005 in collaboration with WorldSpace. This will allow access to critical health information in developing countries and place the emphasis on issues important for clinical care for front line health workers in these areas.
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World Hosp Health Serv · Jan 2004
Challenges confronting the health workforce in sub-Saharan Africa.
Sub-Saharan Africa and the international health community face a daunting challenge to deal with an extraordinary disease burden and improve the health status of Africans. Despite decades of effort to provide effective, equitable and affordable health care services, the health indices of Africans have stagnated and in some instances have deteriorated. Africa is the only continent that has not fully benefited from recent advances in biomedical sciences that brought health tools and technologies to tackle most of the disease burden. ⋯ Yet, until fairly recently sufficient attention has not been directed to the role of the health workforce. The failure to develop and deploy an appropriate and motivated health workforce, and the environment necessary for the workforce to perform optimally is clearly a critical determinant of the health status of Africans. This paper summarizes key issues facing the workforce and outlines a framework to develop strategies to address them.
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To analyze specialist doctors' opinions, attitudes and habits with respect to e-health, and the repercussions of these factors on doctor/patient relations. ⋯ Spanish doctors consider the Internet to be a tool that enhances doctor/patient relations. New technologies are accelerating the substitution of a paternalistic model by ones where the patient has access to more information and resources. There appears to be a favourable attitude towards seeking a second opinion through the Internet, although not towards patients' 'chats'.