Health care, or healthcare, is the prevention, treatment, and management of illness and the preservation of mental and physical well being through the services offered by the medical, nursing, and allied health professions. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Nursing is a Profession focused on assisting individuals families, and communities in attaining maintaining and recovering optimal Health Allied health professions are clinical Healthcare professions distinct from Medicine and Nursing. Health care embraces all the goods and services designed to promote health, including “preventive, curative and palliative interventions, whether directed to individuals or to populations”. ^[1] The organised provision of such services may constitute a health care system. This article describes policy-related systems For the article on hospital networks which are sometimes referred to as health care systems see Hospital network. This can include specific governmental organizations such as, in the UK, the National Health Service or a cooperation across the National Health Service and Social Services as in Shared Care. The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four Publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom collectively or individually (although Shared Care is a term used in Health care and Social care in Great Britain. Before the term "health care" became popular, English-speakers referred to medicine or to the health sector and spoke of the treatment and prevention of illness and disease. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the Health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity Illness (sometimes referred to as ill-health or ail) can be defined as a state of poor Health. A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly

In most developed countries and many developing countries health care is provided to everyone regardless of their ability to pay. The National Health Service, established in 1948 by Clement Atlee's Labour government in the United Kingdom, were the world's first universal health care system provided by government and paid for from general taxation. The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four Publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom collectively or individually (although Clement Richard Attlee 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC ( 3 January 1883 &ndash 8 October 1967 The Labour Party is a Political party in the United Kingdom. Founded at the start of the 20th century it has been since the 1920s the principal party of the The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region Alternatively, compulsory government funded health insurance with nominal fees can be provided, as in Italy. Other examples are Medicare in Australia, established in the 1970s by the Labor government, and by the same name Medicare was established in Canada between 1966 and 1984. This article describes the Australian universal health scheme Medicare This article refers to medicare a name for Canada's publicly-funded health insurance system for hospital and physician services Universal health care contrasts to the systems like health care in the United States or South Africa, though South Africa is one of the many countries attempting health care reform. Health care in the United States is provided by many separate legal entities The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa This article is about political movements affecting the delivery of health care and health care systems ^[2] The United States is the only wealthy, industrialized nation that does not provide universal health care. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region ^[3][4]

Contents 1 Industry 2 Systems 3 World Health Organization 4 Regions 4.1 Oceania 4.1.1 Australia 4.2 Europe 4.2.1 Ireland 4.2.2 Slovenia 4.2.3 Switzerland 4.2.4 United Kingdom 4.3 Latin America 4.3.1 Cuba 4.4 North America 4.4.1 Canada 4.4.2 United States 4.5 Asia 4.5.1 China 4.5.2 Japan 4.6 Africa 4.6.1 Nigeria 4.7 Countries 5 Economics 6 Politics 7 Providers 8 Further reading 9 See also 10 Notes 11 External links

Industry

Main article: Health care industry

The health care industry is considered an industry or profession which includes peoples' exercise of skill or judgment or the providing of a service related to the preservation or improvement of the health of individuals or the treatment or care of individuals who are injured, sick, disabled, or infirm. The health care industry or health profession treats and tends to patients who are injured sick disabled or infirm For other uses of this term see Industry (disambiguation An industry (from Latin industrius, "diligent industrious" The term profession is applied to those persons who have specialized and technical skill or knowledge which they apply for a fee to certain tasks that ordinary and unqualified people cannot A skill is the learned capacity or talent to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time energy or both. Health is a state of complete physical mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity The delivery of modern health care depends on an expanding group of trained professionals coming together as an interdisciplinary team. This article is about people called professionals For the Movie, see The Professional or Leon. In Academia, Pedagogy, Physical sciences, Earth sciences, Human sciences and Social sciences ^[5][6]

Consuming over 10 percent of gross domestic product of most developed nations, health care can form an enormous part of a country's economy. An economic system is a System that involves the production, distribution and consumption of goods and services between In 2003, health care costs paid to hospitals, physicians, nursing homes, diagnostic laboratories, pharmacies, medical device manufacturers and other components of the health care system, consumed 16. Year 2003 ( MMIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health SNF redirects here For the sports show see NBC Sunday Night Football. Diagnosis is the identification by Process of elimination, of the nature of anything Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον 'pharmakon' = drug is the Health profession that links the Health sciences with the chemical sciences A medical device is an object which is useful for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes 3 percent^[7] of the GDP of the United States, the largest of any country in the world. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the For the United States, the health share of gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to hold steady in 2006 before resuming its historical upward trend, reaching 19. 5 percent of GDP by 2016. ^[8] In 2001, for the OECD countries the average was 8. 4 percent^[9] with the United States (13. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 9%), Switzerland (10. Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation 9%), and Germany (10. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. 7%) being the top three.

Systems

Main article: Health care systems

See also: Medical model, Preventive medicine, and Social medicine

Purely private enterprise health care systems are comparatively rare. This article describes policy-related systems For the article on hospital networks which are sometimes referred to as health care systems see Hospital network. The medical model describes the approach to illness that is dominant in Western medicine. Generally speaking preventive medicine is the part of Medicine engaged with preventing Disease rather than curing it The field of social medicine seeks to(1 understand how social and economic conditions impact health disease and the practice of medicine and (2 foster conditions in which this understanding Where they exist, it is usually for a comparatively well-off subpopulation in a poorer country with a poorer standard of health care–for instance, private clinics for a small, wealthy expatriate population in an otherwise poor country. But there are countries with a majority-private health care system with residual public service (see Medicare, Medicaid). This article refers to Medicare, a United States health insurance program Medicaid is the United States health program for eligible individuals and families with low incomes and resources The other major models are public insurance systems. A Social security health care model is where workers and their families are insured by the State. Social security primarily refers to a Social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions including poverty old A publicly funded health care model is where the residents of the country are insured by the State. Publicly funded health care, or publicly funded healthcare, is Health care that is financed entirely or in majority part by citizens' tax payments instead of through This article deals with personal residence in a given place For other uses see Residency (disambiguation and Resident. Within this branch is Single-payer health care, which describes a type of financing system in which a single entity, typically a government run organisation, acts as the administrator (or "payer") to collect all health care fees, and pay out all health care costs. Single-payer health care is an American term describing the payment for doctors hospitals and other providers of health care from a single fund ^[10] Some advocates of universal health care assert that single-payer systems save money that could be used directly towards health care by reducing administrative waste. ^[10] In practice this means that the government collects taxes from the public, businesses, etc. , creates an entity to administer the supply of health care and then pays health care professionals. A single-payer universal health care system will actually save money through reduced bureaucratic administration costs. ^[11] Social health insurance is where the whole population or most of the population is a member of a sickness insurance company. Social health insurance (SHI is a method for Financing Health care costs through a (governnment-mandated social insurance program based on the collection Most health services are provided by private enterprises which act as contractors, billing the government for patient care. ^[12] In almost every country with a government health care system a parallel private system is allowed to operate. This is sometimes referred to as two-tier health care. Two-tier health care is a form of national Health care system. The scale, extent, and funding of these private systems is very variable.

A traditional view is that improvements in health result from advancements in medical science. Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the The medical model of health focuses on the eradication of illness through diagnosis and effective treatment. The medical model describes the approach to illness that is dominant in Western medicine. Illness (sometimes referred to as ill-health or ail) can be defined as a state of poor Health. Diagnosis is the identification by Process of elimination, of the nature of anything In contrast, the social model of health places emphasis on changes that can be made in society and in people's own lifestyles to make the population healthier. It defines illness from the point of view of the individual's functioning within their society rather than by monitoring for changes in biological or physiological signs. Physiology (from Greek grc φύσις physis, "nature origin" and grc -λογία -logia) is the study of the mechanical physical ^[13]

World Health Organization

Main article: World Health Organization

See also: Global health

The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialised United Nations agency which acts as a coordinator and researcher for public health around the world. Global health is a field at the intersection of several Social science Disciplines -- Demography, Economics, Epidemiology, Political The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease prolonging life and promoting health through the organised efforts and informed choices of society organisations Established on 7 April 1948, and headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health Organization, which had been an agency of the League of Nations. Events 529 - First draft of Corpus Juris Civilis (a fundamental work in Jurisprudence) is issued by Eastern Roman Emperor Year 1948 ( MCMXLVIII) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the 1948 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Geneva (Genève is the second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and is the most populous city of Romandy (the French -speaking Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation The League of Nations was an International organization founded as a result of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919–1920 The WHO's constitution states that its mission "is the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health. " Its major task is to combat disease, especially key infectious diseases, and to promote the general health of the peoples of the world. Examples of its work include years of fighting smallpox. Smallpox is an Infectious disease unique to humans caused by either of two virus variants named Variola major and Variola minor. In 1979 the WHO declared that the disease had been eradicated - the first disease in history to be completely eliminated by deliberate human design. The WHO is nearing success in developing vaccines against malaria and schistosomiasis and aims to eradicate polio within the next few years. Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including Schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia, bilharziosis or snail fever) is a Parasitic disease caused by several species of fluke Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral Infectious disease spread from person to person primarily via The organization has already endorsed the world's first official HIV/AIDS Toolkit for Zimbabwe from October 3, 2006, making it an international standard. See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election Events 42 BC - First Battle of Philippi: Triumvirs Mark Antony and Octavian fight an indecisive battle with Caesar's Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ^[14]

The WHO is financed by contributions from member states and from donors. In recent years the WHO's work has involved more collaboration, currently around 80 such partnerships, with NGOs and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as with foundations such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (B&MGF is the largest transparently operated Private foundation in the world founded by Bill and Melinda The Rockefeller Foundation (RF is a prominent Philanthropic organization and Private foundation based at 420 Fifth Avenue New York City. Voluntary contributions to the WHO from national and local governments, foundations and NGOs, other UN organizations, and the private sector (including pharmaceutical companies), now exceed that of assessed contributions (dues) from its 193 member nations. ^[15]

Regions

Main article: Health care systems

See also: Category:Healthcare by country

Oceania

Australia and New Zealand both have publicly funded universal health care systems, alongside ancillary private health care and insurance. This article describes policy-related systems For the article on hospital networks which are sometimes referred to as health care systems see Hospital network.

Australia

Main article: Medicare (Australia)

Medicare was introduced by the Whitlam Labor Government on 1 July 1975 through the Health Insurance Act 1973. This article describes the Australian universal health scheme Medicare Edward Gough Whitlam, AC, QC (born 11 July 1916 known as Gough Whitlam (ˈɡɒf goff is an Australian former politician and 21st "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Year 1975 ( MCMLXXV) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Australian Senate rejected the changes multiple times and they were passed only after a joint sitting after the 1974 double dissolution election. The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. Year 1974 ( MCMLXXIV) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the 1974 Gregorian calendar. This article deals with elections to the Australian Parliament. Yet Medicare has been supported by subsequent governments and became a key feature of Australia’s public policy landscape. The exact structure of Medicare, in terms of the size of the rebate to doctors and hospitals and the way it has administered, has varied over the years. The original Medicare program proposed a 1. 35% levy (with low income exemptions) but these bills were rejected by the Senate, and so Medicare was originally funded from general taxation. In October 1976, the Fraser Government introduced a 2. 5% levy. The program is now nominally funded by an income tax surcharge known as the Medicare levy, which is currently set at 1. 5% with exemptions for low income earners. In practice the levy raises only a fraction of the money required to pay for the scheme. If the levy was to fully pay for the services provided under the medicare banner then it would need to be set at about 8%. There is an additional levy of 1. 0%, known as the Medicare Levy Surcharge, for those on high annual incomes ($50,000) who do not have private patient hospital coverage. This policy was instituted by the former Coalition Federal Government in an attempt to encourage people to take up private health insurance. The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party. Insurance, in Law and Economics, is a form of Risk management primarily used to hedge against the Risk of a contingent loss

Europe

See also: Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection (European Commission)

All of Europe has publicly sponsored and regulated health care. The Directorate-General for Health and Consumer Protection, often abbreviated as " SANCO " or " DG-SANCO " for the French words Santé (Health & Consommateurs A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Countries include Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal,^[16] Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Austria (Österreich ( officially the Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich The Kingdom of Belgium is a Country in northwest Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts its headquarters as well as those The Czech Republic ( ˈt͡ʃɛskaː ˈrɛpuˌblɪka short form in Česko ˈt͡ʃɛskɔ also called Czechia, The Kingdom of Denmark ( ˈd̥ænmɑɡ̊ (archaic ˈd̥anmɑːɡ̊ commonly known as Denmark, is a country in the Scandinavian region of northern Europe Finland, officially the Republic of Finland ( is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. Minister of Health and Solidarity is currently a cabinet position in the Government of France. The Federal Ministry of Health, (in German, Bundesministerium für Gesundheit) is a ministry of the German federal government (see Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Hungary (Magyarország 'mɔɟɔrorsaːg) officially in English the Republic of Hungary ( Magyar Köztársaság, literally Magyar (Hungarian Republic Ireland (pronounced /ˈaɾlənd/ Éire) is the third largest island in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Slovakia (long form Slovak Republic; Slovak:, long form, is a Landlocked country in Central Europe with a population of over five million Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Norway ( Norwegian: Norge ( Bokmål) or Noreg ( Nynorsk) officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Constitutional Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. ^[17]

Ireland

Main article: Healthcare in the Republic of Ireland

The Irish health care system is a socialized, universal, public health care system and is governed by the Health Act 2004, which established a new body to be responsible for providing health and personal social services to everyone living in Ireland - the Health Service Executive. "Health care in Ireland" redirects here For health care in Northern Ireland see Health and Care NI The public Health care system Socialized medicine is a term used primarily in the United States to refer to certain kinds of Publicly-funded health care. Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region Publicly funded health care, or publicly funded healthcare, is Health care that is financed entirely or in majority part by citizens' tax payments instead of through The Health Service Executive ( HSE) or Feidhmeannacht na Serbhíse Sláinte ( FSS) in Irish, is responsible for the provision of healthcare The new national health service came into being officially on 1 January 2005; however the new structures are currently in the process of being established as the reform programme continues. New Year See also New Year The Ancient Romans began their consular year on January 1st since 153 BC Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Slovenia

Main article: Health care in Slovenia

The Health Insurance Institute of Slovenia (the Institute) was founded on March 1, 1992, according to the Law on health care and health insurance, after declaring independence from Yugoslavia. Events 86 BC - Lucius Cornelius Sulla, at the head of a Roman Republic army enters in Athens, removing the Tyrant Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) See also Kingdom of Yugoslavia, Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Yugoslavia ( Serbo-Croatian The Institute conducts its business as a public institute, bound by statute to provide compulsory health insurance. In the field of compulsory health insurance, the Institute's principal task is to provide effective collection (mobilisation) and distribution (allocation) of public funds, in order to ensure the insured persons quality rights arising from the said funds. The rights arising from compulsory health insurance, furnished by the funds collected by means of compulsory insurance contributions, comprise the rights to health care services and rights to several financial benefits (sick leave pay, reimbursement of travel costs and funeral costs, and insurance money paid in case of death). The Institute comprises 10 regional units and 45 branch offices distributed around the territory of Slovenia. Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia (Republika Slovenija) is a Country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west The functional unit the Information Centre and the Directorate complete the Institute structure. At the end of 2005, the Institute staff numbered regular 929 employees. The Institute is governed by an Assembly, whose members are the (elected) representatives of employers (including the representatives of the Government of the Republic of Slovenia) and employees. The executive body of the Assembly is the Institute Board of Directors. The Slovene health insurance card system was introduced, at the national scale, in the year 1999. The system provided the insured persons with a smart card and set up data links between the health care service providers and health insurance providers (the Health Insurance Institute and the two voluntary health insurance providers).

Switzerland

Main article: Healthcare in Switzerland

Healthcare in Switzerland is regulated by the Federal Health Insurance Act. Healthcare in Switzerland is regulated by the Federal Health Insurance Act. Health insurance is compulsory for all persons resident in Switzerland (within three months of taking up residence or being born in the country). The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of Insurance that pays for medical expenses Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation International civil servants, members of permanent missions and their familiy members are exempted from compulsory health insurance. See also Bureaucrat The term civil service has two distinct meanings Branch of governmental service in which individuals are hired on the basis A diplomatic mission is a group of people from one State or an international Inter-governmental organization (such as the United Nations) present in They can, however, apply to join the Swiss health insurance system, within six months of taking up residence in the country. Health insurance covers the costs of medical treatment and hospitalisation of the insured. However, the insured person pays part of the cost of treatment. This is done (a) by means of an annual excess (or deductible, called the franchise), which ranges from CHF 300 to a maximum of CHF 2,500 as chosen by the insured person (premiums are adjusted accordingly) and (b) by a charge of 10% of the costs over and above the excess. In an Insurance policy the deductible (North American term or excess (UK term is the portion of any claim that is not covered by the insurance provider The franc ( German: Franken, French and Romansh: franc, Italian: franco; code: CHF

United Kingdom

Main articles: National Health Service (England), NHS Scotland, NHS Wales, and Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland

Each of the countries of the United Kingdom has a public health service that provides healthcare to all UK permanent residents that is free at the point of need and paid for from general taxation. The National Health Service ( NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. NHS Scotland (sometimes NHSScotland) ( Gaelic: SNN Alba or Bòrd slàinte na Alba) is the publicly funded healthcare system of NHS Wales (GIG Cymru is the publicly funded healthcare system of Wales. Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland is the designation of the national public health service in Northern Ireland; it is administered by the Northern Ireland Executive The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located However, since Health is a devolved matter, considerable differences are developing between the systems in the different countries. Devolution is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a State to government at subnational level ^[18] Though commonly referred to as the NHS across the UK, in fact the National Health Service just covers England with separate 'National Health Services' in the other parts of the UK. The National Health Service is the name commonly used to refer to the four Publicly-funded healthcare systems of the United Kingdom collectively or individually (although For details of public healthcare in each country, see:

England

Main article: Healthcare in England

The NHS provides the majority of healthcare in England, including primary care, in-patient care, long-term healthcare, ophthalmology and dentistry. Healthcare in England is mainly provided by England's public health service the National Health Service, that provides healthcare to all UK permanent residents that is free Primary care is a term used for the activity of a Health care provider who acts as a first point of consultation for all patients A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for Long-term care (LTC is a variety of services which help meet both the medical and non-medical need of people with a Chronic illness or Disability who cannot Ophthalmology is the branch of Medicine which deals with the diseases and surgery of the visual pathways including the Eye, Brain Dentistry' is the "evaluation diagnosis prevention and/or treatment (nonsurgical surgical or related procedures of diseases disorders and/or conditions of the oral cavity The National Health Service Act 1946 came into effect on 5 July 1948. The National Health Service Act 1946, along with the National Health Service (Scotland Act 1947, came into effect on 5 July 1948 and created the National Private health care has continued parallel to the NHS, paid for largely by private insurance, but it is used by less than 8% of the population, and generally as a top-up to NHS services.

Northern Ireland

Main article: Healthcare in Northern Ireland

Scotland

Main article: Healthcare in Scotland

NHS Scotland was founded by the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1947 (since repealed by the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1978) which came into effect on the same day as the NHS in England and Wales but has always been a separate organisation. Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland is the designation of the national public health service in Northern Ireland; it is administered by the Northern Ireland Executive Healthcare in Scotland is mainly provided by Scotland's public health service NHS Scotland, that provides healthcare to all UK permanent residents that is free at the point

Wales

Main article: Healthcare in Wales

NHS Wales was originally formed as part of the same NHS structure created by the National Health Service Act 1946 but powers over the NHS in Wales came under the Secretary of State for Wales in 1969^[19]. NHS Wales (GIG Cymru is the publicly funded healthcare system of Wales. NHS Wales (GIG Cymru is the publicly funded healthcare system of Wales. The National Health Service Act 1946, along with the National Health Service (Scotland Act 1947, came into effect on 5 July 1948 and created the National

Latin America

Most countries in Latin America have public health care provided. Mexico is planning to launch its own universal health care network^[20] though at the moment the standards of health care in Mexico are seriously lacking with large divides between rich and poor. Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region In the early 1990s Mexico showed clear signs of having entered a transitional stage in the health of its population Puerto Rico is planning its own health reform for the poorest of the population. The Puerto Rico Health Reform ( Reforma de Salud de Puerto Rico in Spanish) locally referred to simply as the Reform ( la Reforma in Spanish Health care in Venezuela is probably the most extensive and given the country's fortunes in oil wealth, expenditure has recently increased greatly, starting with mass vaccinations under the Plan Bolivar 2000. Extensive Inoculation programs and the availability of low- or no-cost health care provided by the Venezuelan Institute of Social Security have made Venezuela's health care infrastructure Plan Bolívar 2000 (launched February 27, 1999) was the first of the Bolivarian Missions enacted under of administration of current Venezuelan Trinidad and Tobago has universal healthcare, but there are shortages of equipment, supplies, space and staff. The Republic of Trinidad and Tobago (ˈtrɪnɪdæd ən təˈbeɪgoʊ is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying northeast of the South American

Cuba

Main article: Health care in Cuba

The Cuban government operates a national health system and assumes fiscal and administrative responsibility for the health care of its citizens. The Cuban government operates a national health system and assumes fiscal and administrative responsibility for the Health care of its citizens The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la Politics of Cuba take place within a framework of a socialist republic. ^[21] Following the Revolution, the new Cuban government asserted that universal healthcare was to become a priority of state planning. Politics of Cuba take place within a framework of a socialist republic. In 1960 revolutionary and physician Che Guevara outlined his aims for the future of Cuban healthcare in an essay entitled "On Revolutionary Medicine", stating: "The work that today is entrusted to the Ministry of Health and similar organizations is to provide public health services for the greatest possible number of persons, institute a program of preventive medicine, and orient the public to the performance of hygienic practices. Year 1960 ( MCMLX) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health Ernesto "Che" Guevara (June 14 Following the Cuban revolution,Guevara reviewed "^[22] These aims were hampered almost immediately by an exodus of almost half of Cuba’s physicians to the United States, leaving the country with only 3,000 doctors and 16 professors in University of Havana’s medical college. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ^[23] Beginning in 1960, the Ministry of Public Health began a program of nationalization and regionalization of medical services. Nationalization, also spelled nationalisation, is the act of taking an industry or assets into the Public ownership of a national government ^[23] In 1976, Cuba's healthcare program was enshrined in Article 50 of the revised Cuban constitution which states

"Everyone has the right to health protection and care. Since attaining its independence from Spain, Cuba has had five Constitutions The current constitution was drafted in 1976 and has since been amended The state guarantees this right by providing free medical and hospital care by means of the installations of the rural medical service network, polyclinics, hospitals, preventative and specialized treatment centers; by providing free dental care; by promoting the health publicity campaigns, health education, regular medical examinations, general vaccinations and other measures to prevent the outbreak of disease. All the population cooperates in these activities and plans through the social and mass organizations. "^[24]

Like the rest of the Cuban economy, Cuban medical care has suffered from severe material shortages following the end of Soviet subsidies and the ongoing United States embargo against Cuba that began after the Cuban Missile Crisis. The economy of Cuba is a largely State -controlled A soviet (сове́т, "council" originally was a workers' local council in late Imperial Russia. The United States Embargo Against Cuba (described in Cuba as el bloqueo, Spanish for "the Blockade " is an economic commercial and ^[25] Data for 2004 show that Cuba has one of the highest life expectancy rates in Latin America. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Costa Rica, Chile, Virgin Islands, Guadeloupe, and Martinique now have a higher life expectancy for combined sexes from birth. Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( Spanish: Costa Rica or República de Costa Rica,) is a Country in Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the See also Culture of the Virgin Islands Music of the Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Creole Guadeloupe is an island group or Archipelago located in the eastern Caribbean Sea at, with a land area of 1628 square kilometres (629  sq Martinique is an Island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, having a land area of 1128 km² ^[26]

North America

Canada

Main articles: Health care in Canada and Medicare (Canada)

The federal government of Lester B. Pearson, pressured by the New Democratic Party (NDP) who held the balance of power, introduced the Medical Care Act in 1966 that extended the HIDS Act cost-sharing to allow each province to establish a universal health care plan. Health care in Canada is funded and delivered through a Publicly-funded health care system with most services provided by private entities This article refers to medicare a name for Canada's publicly-funded health insurance system for hospital and physician services Principles policies and electoral achievement The NDP grew from populist, agrarian and democratic socialist roots Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region It also set up the Medicare system. This article refers to medicare a name for Canada's publicly-funded health insurance system for hospital and physician services In 1984, the Canada Health Act was passed, which prohibited user fees and extra billing by doctors. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) The Canada Health Act (CHA is a piece of Canadian federal Legislation, adopted in 1984 which specifies the conditions and criteria with which the provincial and People pay user fees for the use of many public services and facilities In 1999, the prime minister and most premiers reaffirmed in the Social Union Framework Agreement that they are committed to health care that has "comprehensiveness, universality, portability, public administration and accessibility. The Social Union Framework Agreement, or SUFA, was an agreement made in Canada in 1999 between Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and the premiers "^[27] The Canadian system is for the most part publicly funded, yet most of the services are provided by private enterprises, private corporations. Most of all doctors do not receive an annual salary, but receive a fee per visit or service. About 30% of Canadians' health care is paid for through the private sector. This mostly goes towards services not covered or only partially covered by Medicare such as prescription drugs, dentistry and optometry. This article refers to medicare a name for Canada's publicly-funded health insurance system for hospital and physician services A prescription drug is a licensed medicine that is regulated by legislation to require a prescription before it can be obtained Dentistry' is the "evaluation diagnosis prevention and/or treatment (nonsurgical surgical or related procedures of diseases disorders and/or conditions of the oral cavity Optometry is a health care profession concerned with Eyes and related structures as well as vision, Visual systems and vision information Many Canadians have private health insurance, often through their employers, that cover these expenses. In Canada, some services are permitted and some are not. The Supreme Court of Quebec ruled, in Chaoulli v. Quebec, that private services must be allowed to compete with the public program,^[28] thus opening the door to a dual system of private and public healthcare. Chaoulli v Quebec (Attorney General 1 SCR 791 was a decision by the Supreme Court of Canada where the Court ruled that the Quebec Health Insurance Act Quebec has been the fastest to adopt this system and has the most private healthcare available of all the Canadian provinces.

United States

Main articles: Health care in the United States, Health insurance in the United States, and Health care reform in the United States

In the United States, certain publicly funded health care programs help to provide for the elderly, disabled, military service families and veterans, children, and the poor,^[29] and federal law ensures public access to emergency services regardless of ability to pay;^[30] however, a system of universal health care has not been implemented. Elizabeth Virginia Wallace Truman (February 13 1885 – October 18 1982 widely known as Bess Truman, was the wife of Harry S The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act ( EMTALA) is a United States Act of Congress passed in 1986 as part of the Consolidated Omnibus Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is attempting to implement a near-universal health care system by mandating that residents purchase health insurance by July 1, 2007. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Massachusetts health care reform law was enacted in 2006 It requires nearly every resident of Massachusetts to obtain health insurance coverage ^[31] California, Maine, Pennsylvania, and Vermont also are attempting universal systems at the state level, with some smaller locations such as San Francisco also attempting this at the citywide level. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Vermont ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city ^[32] Some government health care systems allow private practitioners to provide services, and some do not.

Asia

Israel,^[33] South Korea, Seychelles and Taiwan have universal health care. Universal health care is health care coverage which is extended to all eligible residents of a governmental region Thailand^[34] plans to. ^[20] Health care in India is guaranteed to "improve" for all under the constitution, although the reality does not live up to the vague wording of the article. Healthcare and NARBs in India is the responsibility of the individual Indian states In Sri Lanka, drugs are provided by a government owned drug manufacturer called the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation of Sri Lanka. The State Pharmaceuticals Corporation (SPC is a State-owned enterprise with its headquarters in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In the Philippines, the Department of Health (Philippines) organises public health for the country, and was established at the initiative of the American governors, before independence. The Philippines ( Filipino: Pilipinas, officially known as the Republic of the Philippines (fil ''Republika ng Pilipinas'' RP The Philippines' Department of Health ( DOH) ( Filipino: Kagawaran ng Kalusugan) is the principal health agency in the Philippines Saudi Arabia has a publicly funded health system, although its levels are lower than the regional average. The healthcare system in Saudi Arabia can be classified as a national health care system in which the government provides health care services through a number of government agencies

China

Main article: Healthcare system reform in the People's Republic of China

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the goal of healthcare programs has been to provide care to every member of the population and to make maximum use of limited health-care personnel, equipment, and financial resources. See also Public health in the People's Republic of China The healthcare system reform in the People's Republic of China refers to the Healthcare system transition Talk People's Republic of China) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA ARTICLE GUIDELINES Health care is the prevention treatment and management of illness and the preservation of mental health through the services offered by the medical, Nursing

The current health insurance system in China provides virtually free coverage for people employed in urban state enterprises and relatively inexpensive coverage for their families. The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of Insurance that pays for medical expenses The situation for workers in the rural areas or in urban employment outside the state sector is far more varied. There are some cooperative health care programs, but their voluntary nature produced a decline in membership from the late 1970s.

The severest limitation on the availability of health services, however, appears to be the serious lack of resources, rather than discrimination in access on the basis of the ability of individuals to pay. An extensive system of paramedical care has been fostered as the major medical resource available to most of the rural population, but the care has been of uneven quality. A paramedic is a medical professional usually a member of the emergency medical service, who primarily provides Pre-hospital advanced medical and The paramedical system feeds patients into the more sophisticated commune-level and county-level hospitals when they are available.

China is undertaking a reform on its universal health care system. The New Rural Co-operative Medical Care System (NRCMCS) is a new 2005 initiative to overhaul the healthcare system, particularly intended to make it more affordable for the rural poor. Under the NRCMCS, the annual cost of medical cover is 50 yuan (US$7) per person. Of that, 20 yuan is paid in by the central government, 20 yuan by the provincial government and a contribution of 10 yuan is made by the patient. As of September 2007, around 80% of the whole rural population of China had signed up (about 685 million people). The system is tiered, depending on the location. If patients go to a small hospital or clinic in their local town, the scheme will cover from 70-80% of their bill. If they go to a county one, the percentage of the cost being covered falls to about 60%. And if they need specialist help in a large modern city hospital, they have to bear most of the cost themselves, the scheme would cover about 30% of the bill. ^[35]

Japan

Main article: Health care in Japan

In Japan, payment for personal medical services is offered through a universal insurance system that provides relative equality of access, with fees set by a government committee. In the Japanese health care system Healthcare services including free screening examinations for particular diseases Prenatal care, and Infectious disease People without insurance through employers can participate in a national health insurance program administered by local governments. The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of Insurance that pays for medical expenses Since 1973, all elderly persons have been covered by government-sponsored insurance. Patients are free to select physicians or facilities of their choice. In the early 1990s, there were more than 1,000 mental hospitals, 8,700 general hospitals, and 1,000 comprehensive hospitals with a total capacity of 1. A psychiatric hospital (previously called insane asylum, mental hospital; or derogatorily looney bin, nut house or Funny Farm) is A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for 5 million beds. Hospitals provided both out-patient and in-patient care. In addition, 79,000 clinics offered primarily out-patient services, and there were 48,000 dental clinics. A clinic (or an outpatient clinic) is a small private or public health facility that is devoted to the care of Outpatients, often in a community in contrast Dentistry' is the "evaluation diagnosis prevention and/or treatment (nonsurgical surgical or related procedures of diseases disorders and/or conditions of the oral cavity Most hospitals sell medicine directly to patients, but there are 36,000 pharmacies where patients could purchase synthetic or herbal medication. A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for Pharmacy (from the Greek φάρμακον 'pharmakon' = drug is the Health profession that links the Health sciences with the chemical sciences

National health expenditures rose from about 1 trillion Yen in 1965 to nearly 20 trillion Yen in 1989, or from slightly more than 5% to more than 6% of Japan's national income. However, this rise was in accordance with Japan's post-war economic boom (GDP had increased four times between 1965 and 1989^[36]). In addition to cost-control problems, the system was troubled with excessive paperwork, long waits to see physicians, assembly-line care for out-patients (because few facilities made appointments), over medication, and abuse of the system because of low out-of-pocket costs to patients. Overmedication is when a doctor prescribes unnecessary or excessive Medication to a Patient. Out-of-pocket expenses are direct outlays of cash which are not reimbursed Another problem is an uneven distribution of health personnel, with cities favored over rural areas.

Africa

Health care in Africa is usually non existent or highly limited and under resourced. The outbreak and spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa has crippled many populations and sent life expectancies plummeting. The HIV / AIDS epidemics spreading through the countries of Sub-Saharan Africa are highly varied However, some countries have been able to tackle the challenges, for instance health care in Uganda as well as education has reduced HIV/AIDS infections from 13% to 4. As a Developing country, health indicators in Uganda lag behind the rest of the world 1% from 1990 to 2003. This contrasts to some governments' approach, especially that of the South African Health Ministry who until recently denied the link between HIV/AIDS. Ministry of Health of South Africa mission is to consolidate and build on the achievements of the past five years in improving access to health care for all and reducing inequity and to focus on

Nigeria

Main article: Health care in Nigeria

Health care provision in Nigeria is a concurrent responsibility of the three tiers of government in the country. Health care provision in Nigeria is a Concurrent responsibility of the three Tiers of Government in the country Tiers, also known as Ultra Checkers, is a complex variant of Checkers that allows players to upgrade their pieces beyond kings For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. ^[37] However, because Nigeria operates a mixed economy, private providers of health care have a visible role to play in health care delivery. Nigeria, officially named the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal Constitutional republic comprising thirty-six states and one Federal A mixed economy is an Economic system that incorporates aspects of more than one economic system The federal government's role is mostly limited to coordinating the affairs of the university teaching hospitals, while the state government manages the various general hospitals and the local government focus on dispensaries. A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects A teaching hospital is a Hospital that in addition to delivering medical care to patients also provides Clinical education and training to future and current doctors General Hospital (commonly abbreviated GH) is an American Soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network during the Local governments are administrative offices that are smaller than a State. A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for The total expenditure on health care as % of GDP is 4. 6, while the percentage of federal government expenditure on health care is about 1. 5%. ^[38] A long run indicator of the ability of the country to provide food sustenance and avoid malnutrition is the rate of growth of per capita food production; from 1970-1990, the rate for Nigeria was 0. In economic models the long-run time frame assumes no fixed Factors of production. Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an Malnutrition is a general term for a medical condition caused by an improper or insufficient diet. 25%. ^[39] Though small, the positive rate of per capita may be due to Nigeria's importation of food products. In Economics, an import is any good (eg a Commodity) or Service brought into one country from another country in a legitimate fashion

Historically, health insurance in Nigeria can be applied to a few instances: free health care provided and financed for all citizens, health care provided by government through a special health insurance scheme for government employees and private firms entering contracts with private health care providers. The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of Insurance that pays for medical expenses For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. ^[40] However, there are few people who fall within the three instances. In May 1999, the government created the National Health Insurance Scheme, the scheme encompasses government employees, the organized private sector and the informal sector. National health insurance is a form of health insurance that insures a population against meeting the costs associated with ill health For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. In Economics, the private sector is that part of the economy which is both run for private Profit and is not controlled by the State. Legislative wise, the scheme also covers children under five, permanently disabled persons and prison inmates. A legislature is a type of representative Deliberative assembly with the power to create amend and change Laws The law created by a legislature is called Legislation In 2004, the administration of Obasanjo further gave more legislative powers to the scheme with positive amendments to the original 1999 legislative act. ^[41]

Countries

Economics

Main article: Health care economics

Health care economics consists of a complicated relationship between a number of participants; the consumer, insurance companies, employers, medical professionals, and various government entities. Health economics is a branch of Economics concerned with issues related to scarcity in the allocation of Health and Health care. An essential feature of health care economics is the spreading of risk, since the cost of health care for catastrophic illness can be prohibitive. This risk may be spread by private insurance companies, or by government involvement in the health care market. The health care market can suffer from a number of problems which are so severe as to be characterized by some as market failure

• Adverse selection in insurance markets occurs because those providing insurance have limited information with which to estimate the risks their clients wish to insure against. Market failure is a concept within economic theory wherein the allocation of goods and services by a Free market is not efficient. Adverse selection, anti-selection, or negative selection is a term used in Economics, Insurance, Statistics, and Risk management In simple terms, those with poor health will apply for insurance, raising the cost of providing insurance; those with good health will find the cost of insurance too expensive, raising costs further. Private insurers are economically incentivized to spend substantial sums on investigating the health history of prospective clients, charging higher premiums for unhealthy individuals, which they may not be able to afford. ^[42][43]

• Moral hazard in insurance markets occurs when the insured behave in a riskier manner than they would if they were not insured. Moral hazard is the prospect that a party insulated from risk may behave differently from the way it would behave if it were fully exposed to the risk This problem is made worse when the individual is paying only a fraction of the true cost of coverage.

Among the potential solutions posited by economists are:

• Various forms of universal health insurance, such as requiring all citizens to purchase insurance, limiting the ability of insurance companies to deny insurance to individuals or vary price between individuals. Compulsory universal health insurance is a common thread, although there is no requirement that the insurance or medical services be provided by government.

• Decreased government regulation: Conservative Republican US Senator Bill Frist argued^[44] that the free market will keep costs down, because individuals who have to pay for their own health care will make wiser decisions and not spend money on unneeded or inefficient care. William Harrison "Bill" Frist A deregulated free market, Frist argues, will also encourage efficiency and innovation. The US currently (2007) has the most expensive health care of any OECD country and also has the highest percentage of costs paid privately. ^[45]

Country	Life expectancy	Infant mortality rate	Physicians per 1000 people	Nurses per 1000 people	Per capita expenditure on health (USD)	Healthcare costs as a percent of GDP	% of government revenue spent on health	% of health costs paid by government	% of health costs paid private insurance [46]	% of health costs paid by consumer
Australia	80. Life expectancy is the average number of years of life remaining at a given age Infant mortality is defined as the number of deaths of Infants (one year of age or younger per 1000 live births A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health A nurse is responsible—along with other Health care Professionals —for the treatment safety and recovery of acutely or chronically For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. 5	5. 0	2. 47	9. 71	2,519	9. 5	17. 7	67. 5	7. 4	21. 8
Canada	80. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page 5	5. 0	2. 14	9. 95	2,669	9. 9	16. 7	69. 9	12. 6	15. 1
France	79. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. 5	4. 0	3. 37	7. 24	2,981	10. 1	14. 2	76. 3	12. 6	7. 4
Germany	80. Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. 0	4. 0	3. 37	9. 72	3,204	11. 1	17. 6	78. 2	8. 8	10. 5
Japan	82. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Japan topics. 5	3. 0	1. 98	7. 79	2,662	7. 9	16. 8	81. 0	0. 4	17. 2
Sweden	80. "Sverige" redirects here For other uses see Sweden (disambiguation and Sverige (disambiguation. 5	3. 0	3. 28	10. 24	3,149	9. 4	13. 6	85. 2	0. 0	15. 1
UK	79. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located 5	5. 0	2. 30	12. 12	2,428	8. 0	15. 8	85. 7	0. 0	14. 4
USA	77. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the 5	6. 0	2. 56	9. 37	5,711	15. 2	18. 5	44. 6	36. 8	13. 3

Most European systems are financed through a mix of public and private contributions. ^[47] The majority of universal health care systems are funded primarily by tax revenue (e. Tax revenue is the Income that is gained by Governments because of Taxation of the people g. Portugal^[47]). Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic (República Portuguesa is a country on the Iberian Peninsula. Some nations, such as Germany, France^[48] and Japan^[49] employ a multi-payer system in which health care is funded by private and public contributions. In 2001 Canadians paid $2,163 per capita versus $4,887 U. S. , according to the Los Angeles Times (also, see table above). According to Dr. Stephen Bezruchka, a senior lecturer in the School of Public Health at the University of Washington in Seattle, Canadians do better by every health care measure. According to a World Health Organization report published in 2003, life expectancy at birth in Canada is 79. 8 years, versus 77. 3 in the U. S. ^[50]

A distinction is also made between municipal and national healthcare funding. For example, one model is that the bulk of the healthcare is funded by the municipality, speciality healthcare is provided and possibly funded by a larger entity, such as a municipal co-operation board or the state, and the medications are paid by a state agency. No entirely private health care system exists, although the reform bill in Massachusetts attempts to make private health care more affordable. Massachusetts health care reform law was enacted in 2006 It requires nearly every resident of Massachusetts to obtain health insurance coverage

Politics

Main article: Health care politics

The politics of health care depends largely on which country one is in. Health care often accounts for one of the largest areas of spending for both Governments and individuals all over the world and Current concerns in England, for instance, revolve around the use of private finance initiatives to build hospitals or the excessive use of targets in cutting waiting lists. The National Health Service ( NHS) is the publicly funded healthcare system in England. The Private Finance Initiative specifies a method developed initially by the United Kingdom Government, to provide financial support for " Public-Private In Germany and France, concerns are more based on the rising cost of drugs to the governments. In Brazil, an important political issue is the breach of intellectual property rights, or patents, for the domestic manufacture of antiretroviral drugs used in the treatment of HIV/AIDS. The first AIDS case identified in Brazil was in 1982 Infection rates climbed exponentially throughout the 1980s and in 1990 the World Bank Intellectual property ( IP) is a legal field that refers to creations of the mind such as musical literary and artistic works inventions and symbols names A patent is a set of Exclusive rights granted by a State to an inventor or his assignee for a fixed period of time in exchange for a disclosure of an The South African government, whose population sets the record for HIV infections, came under pressure for its refusal to admit there is any connection with AIDS^[51] because of the cost it would have involved. HIV and AIDS in South Africa are major health concerns and around 5 In the United States, which has some of the most sophisticated, technologically advanced health care in the world, 12% to 16% of the citizens are still unable to afford complete health insurance.

Opponents of universal health care in the United States often argue that it will require higher taxes and a great likelihood of poorly performing health care facilities and physicians. ^[52] The absence of a market mechanism may slow innovation in treatment and research leading to rationing of care through waiting lists. A statistical comparison shows that it is not universal health care that leads to a doctor shortage, but the payment system to doctors that causes a doctors shortage. In Italy,^[53] doctors are paid a fee per patient per year, a per capita salary, and Italy does not have a doctor shortage but has one of the highest doctor per patient ratios, 5. 8 doctors per 1,000 patients. In Italy though, it should be noted that most physicians subsequently have very limited hours; many only maintaining patient hours 2 days per week. Canada, whose universal health care system pays its doctors a "fee per visit", creates a real market condition, where doctors' salaries are protected, and even increased, by decreasing the supply of doctors. Canada has a low doctor per patient ratio of 2. 1 doctors per 1,000 patients. A comparative analysis shows that a salaried doctor system, while not perfect, results in more doctors; however, they work substantially fewer hours, while the fee per visit system creates economic pressures to reduce the number of doctors, who subsequently work more hours.

Providers

Main article: Health care provider

A health care provider or health professional is an organization or person who delivers proper health care in a systematic way professionally to any individual in need of health care services. A health care provider or health professional is an organization or person who delivers proper Health care in a systematic way professionally to any individual in This article is about people called professionals For the Movie, see The Professional or Leon. An organization (or organisation &mdash see spelling differences) is a social arrangement which pursues collective goals which controls its own performance and A health care provider could be a government, Health care industry, health care equipment, institution such as a hospital or medical laboratory, physicians, support staff, nurses, therapists, psychologists, chiropractors, veterinarians, dentists, optometrists, paramedics, pharmacists, or even a health insurance company. For the government of parliamentary systems see Executive (government. A hospital is an institution for Health care providing treatment by specialised staff and equipment and often but not always providing for A medical laboratory or clinical laboratory is a Laboratory where tests are done on clinical specimens in order to get information about the Health A physician, medical practitioner or medical doctor who practices Medicine, and is concerned with maintaining or restoring human Health A nurse is responsible—along with other Health care Professionals —for the treatment safety and recovery of acutely or chronically Psychotherapy is an Interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living Mental health professional A psychologist is a practitioner of Psychology, the systematic investigation of the mind including Behavior, Cognition, Chiropractic is a Health care profession that focuses on diagnosis treatment and prevention of mechanical disorders of the Musculoskeletal system, with special emphasis A veterinarian ( American English) or a Veterinary surgeon ( British English) often shortened to vet, is a Physician Dentistry' is the "evaluation diagnosis prevention and/or treatment (nonsurgical surgical or related procedures of diseases disorders and/or conditions of the oral cavity Optometry is a health care profession concerned with Eyes and related structures as well as vision, Visual systems and vision information A paramedic is a medical professional usually a member of the emergency medical service, who primarily provides Pre-hospital advanced medical and Pharmacists are Health professionals who practice the art and science of Pharmacy. The term health insurance is generally used to describe a form of Insurance that pays for medical expenses

Further reading

• Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved

See also

Notes

External links

• HRC/Eldis Health Resource Guide New research and other resources on health in developing countries
• [2] An overview of healthcare research resources at Harvard Business School.
• States Moving Towards Comprehensive Health Care Reform in the U.S., The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation
• 2008 Presidential Candidate Health Plan Report Card issued by the National Physicians Alliance
• Envisioning the Future: The 2008 Presidential Candidates' Health Reform Proposals from The Commonwealth Fund
• Doctors support universal health care: survey, Reuters, March 31, 2008 (first reported in Annals of Internal Medicine). The National Physicians Alliance (NPA is a national multi-specialty medical organization founded in 2005 by former leaders of the American Medical Student Association. The Commonwealth Fund is a private charitable foundation that aims to promote a high performing Health care system that achieves better access improved quality and greater
• Tishchenko P. D. The Individual and Healthcare in the New Russia

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