Defining a healthcare system

So far, we’ve defined what we mean by ‘healthcare’ and ‘system’ and examined the common characteristics of the latter. Let’s now bring these together and consider what we mean by a healthcare system.

The two following definitions provide a useful starting point. A healthcare system is:

… all activities whose primary purpose is to promote, restore, and maintain health.

(WHO 2000: 5)

… the combination of resources, organisation, financing, and management that culminate in the delivery of health services to the population.

(World Bank 2007: 173; Roemer 1991)

Is there a perfect healthcare system?

• Values and universal healthcare of the UK
• Primary care of Israel
• Community services of Brazil
• Mental health and wellbeing of Australia
• Health promotion of the Nordic countries
• Patient and community empowerment in parts of Africa
• Research and development of the US
• Innovation, flair and speed of India
• Information, communications and technology of Singapore
• Choice of France
• Funding of Switzerland
• Aged care of Japan

Your task

Within a healthcare system you are familiar with, consider its areas of strength and weakness against the elements of a ‘perfect’ health system highlighted by Britnell (2015).

Share your thoughts in the comments area.

References

_{Britnell, M. (2015) In Search of the Perfect Health System. Macmillan International Higher Education.}

_{Department of Health and Social Care (2012) NHS Constitution for England [online] available from https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-england [21 April 2020]}

_{Roemer, M. I. (1991) National Health Systems of the World. Volume 1: The Countries. Oxford: Oxford University Press.}

_{World Bank (2007) Healthy Development: The World Bank Strategy for Health, Nutrition, and Population Results. World Bank Publications.}

_{World Health Organization (2000) The World Health Report 2000: Health Systems: Improving Performance. London: World Health Organization.}