Measuring the output and productivity of the health care sector is important but difficult, and it has been a long-standing policy concern. Statistical agencies in some countries such as U.K., Eurostat, Australia, and the U.S. have done substantial research to investigate various approaches to measure the output. This paper reviews recent developments in the economic measurement of health care ...

BACKGROUND After many years of sanctions and conflict, Iraq is rebuilding its health system, with a strong emphasis on the traditional hospital-based services. A network exists of public sector hospitals and clinics, as well as private clinics and a few private hospitals. Little data are available about the approximately 1400 Primary Health Care clinics (PHCCs) staffed with doctors. How do Iraq...

This project aims to draw attention to user driven innovation in the health care sector. The goal is to develop and test methods for user driven innovation in the context of health care. Methods which have proven valuable in industrial contexts may lack suitable counterparts within the health care sector. The report consists of an overview of innovation theory, hereunder user driven innovation ...

Taking as point of departure the need for a strong public health care sector in developing countries the article firstly outlines how in sub-Saharan Africa enhanced scarcity has characterized the content and quality of health care in the public sector. This has eroded the trust among the public in the government as provider of health care and guardian of public health. Secondly, it describes ho...

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has conducted a limited examination of how the costs of health care provided by VHA compare with the costs of care provided in the private sector. Although the structure of VHA and published studies suggest that VHA care has been cheaper than care provided by the private sector, limited evidence and substantial uncertainty make it difficult to reach firm co...

BACKGROUND Financial protection against the cost of unforeseen ill health has become a global concern as expressed in the 2005 World Health Assembly resolution (WHA58.33), which urges its member states to "plan the transition to universal coverage of their citizens". An important element of financial risk protection is to distribute health care financing fairly in relation to ability to pay. Th...

BACKGROUND In Uganda and elsewhere, the private sector provides an increasing and significant proportion of maternal and child health services. However, little is known whether private care results in better quality services and improved outcomes compared to the public sector, especially regarding care at the time of birth. OBJECTIVE To describe the characteristics of care-seekers and assess ...

Spending for health care rose to $751.8 billion in 1991, an increase of 11.4 percent from the 1990 level. National health expenditures as a share of gross domestic product increased to 13.2 percent, up from 12.2 percent in 1990. The health care sector exhibited strong growth, despite slow growth in the overall economy. This combination resulted in the largest increase in the share of the Nation...