Book contents
- Global Health
- Global Health
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Section 1 Global Health: Definitions and Descriptions
- Chapter 1 State of Global Health in a Radically Unequal World
- Chapter 2 Societal Determinants and Determination of Health
- Chapter 3 Strengthening the Global Response to Infectious Disease Threats in the Twenty-First Century, with a COVID-19 Epilogue
- Chapter 4 Gender Equality in Science, Medicine, and Global Health
- Chapter 5 Health Systems and Health and Healthcare Reform
- Section 2 Global Health Ethics, Responsibilities, and Justice: Some Central Issues
- Section 3 Analyzing Some Reasons for Poor Health and Responsibilities to Address Them
- Section 4 Environmental/Ecological Considerations and Planetary Health
- Section 5 The Importance of Including Cross-Cultural Perspectives and the Need for Dialogue
- Section 6 Shaping the Future
- Index
- References
Chapter 5 - Health Systems and Health and Healthcare Reform
from Section 1 - Global Health: Definitions and Descriptions
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 February 2021
- Global Health
- Global Health
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Contributors
- Introduction
- Section 1 Global Health: Definitions and Descriptions
- Chapter 1 State of Global Health in a Radically Unequal World
- Chapter 2 Societal Determinants and Determination of Health
- Chapter 3 Strengthening the Global Response to Infectious Disease Threats in the Twenty-First Century, with a COVID-19 Epilogue
- Chapter 4 Gender Equality in Science, Medicine, and Global Health
- Chapter 5 Health Systems and Health and Healthcare Reform
- Section 2 Global Health Ethics, Responsibilities, and Justice: Some Central Issues
- Section 3 Analyzing Some Reasons for Poor Health and Responsibilities to Address Them
- Section 4 Environmental/Ecological Considerations and Planetary Health
- Section 5 The Importance of Including Cross-Cultural Perspectives and the Need for Dialogue
- Section 6 Shaping the Future
- Index
- References
Summary
It is easy to forget that one of the primary purposes of a health system should be to improve health (McKee et al., 2009). For decades, debates on health systems have been dominated by discussions of how much they cost to run (typically questioning whether they are affordable, as if there were an alternative in a civilized society) or how many resources they require (typically expressed in an arbitrary fashion as people, usually doctors and nurses, but not managers or physiotherapists, or facilities and items of furniture, usually hospitals, but not primary care clinics or beds and not examination couches). The nature of this discourse has meant that health systems have tended to be regarded as a cost to society from which there is little return instead of as an investment whereby appropriately directed expenditure leads to better health.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Global HealthEthical Challenges, pp. 86 - 97Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2021
References
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