• Abolish user fees?

Abolish user fees?

In the World Health Report 2000, devoted entirely to health systems, the World Health Organization (WHO) expands its traditional concern for people’s physical and mental well-being to emphasise the elements of goodness (the best attainable average level) and fairness (the smallest feasible differences among individuals and groups). Building on previous work, this report introduces WHO’s framework for assessing health system performance. It presents an index of national health systems’ performance in trying to achieve three overall goals: good health, responsiveness to the expectations of the population, and fairness of financial contribution.

Progress towards these goals depends on how well systems carry out four vital functions: service provision, resource generation, financing and stewardship. The book-length report devotes a chapter to each function, and reaches conclusions and makes policy recommendations on each. It places special emphasis on stewardship, which has a profound influence on the other three. It asserts that the differing degrees of efficiency with which health systems organise and finance themselves, and react to the needs of their populations, explain much of the widening gap in death rates between the rich and poor, in countries and between countries, around the world. [adapted from author]

• Full text of document
• Publisher details
• Send to a friend