The WHO ranked all member nation's health plans in 2000
It should be noted that the WHO has indicated it will no longer produce a ranking table because of the complexity of the task. The criteria for ranking the health care systems was based on a wide variety of findings, including but not limited to, life expectancy, infant mortality and cost.
Many people know that the United States ranked 37th out of 198 countries and that Canada ranked 30th. But do you know what the top 10 best health care system in the world are?
The top 10 in the order determined by the World Health Organization
- France
- Italy
- San Marino
- Andorra
- Malta
- Singapore
- Spain
- Oman
- Austria
- Japan
When the United Nations was formed in 1945 one of the entities that the delegates discussed was setting up an organization to monitor and assess global health trends. The World Health Organization (the WHO) came into being on April 7,1948. World Health Day is celebrated every year on that date in recognition of the WHO.
Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the WHO is the directing and coordinating authority for health within the United Nations system. All countries which are Members of the United Nations may become members of the WHO by accepting its Constitution which currently has 198 participating nations.
Follow this series on the best health care systems in the world by clicking on "SUBSCRIBE to E-MAIL." Comments and opposing views are welcome and appreciated. Rudeness is neither welcome nor appreciated
Comments
The WHO report is very misleading. It assumes that health care is the major reason for the overall good health of a nation's population, when in reality it's just a small part of the equation. More inportant by far is what and how much people eat, how much they exercise, and other issues not directly related to health care.
Also, the criteria can differ from nation to nation. For instance, some countries don't count the dealth of premature babies under a certian weight in their infant mortality numbers. The U.S. does.
Auto accidents deaths occur far more often int he U.S. than elsewhere, and have a huge impact on average life expectancy.
Using just life expectancy, infant mortality, and other criteria wihtout context gives a distorted picture. When all these are taken into account properly, the U.S. is a lot higher on the list than 37th.
What about the other 36 countries? I was in Canada and had a boating accident. No complaints...it was far better (and cheaper) than any care I've ever received in my home state.
While John makes some good points about the limits of using statistics to make an argument, I'd like to point out a couple issues.
One: How much people eat, exercise, etc. does correlate to preventative medicine. The U.S. system places far less emphasis on preventative medicine than other countries. Accepting John's argument that eating and exercise contribute to shorter life spans illustrates that the U.S. lack of preventative medicine contributes to shorter life spans.
Two: The WHO has a set definition of what constitutes a live birth and what should be included in infant mortality rates. This allows an apples to apples comparison.
Three: The WHO tracks auto fatalities as well (dubdubdub.who.int/research/en/) and it shows that the U.S. is not affected far more often than elsewhere.
"Also, the criteria can differ from nation to nation. For instance, some countries don't count the dealth of premature babies under a certian weight in their infant mortality numbers. The U.S. does."
they do.!
Healthcare in the US is f**cked up.. I am from UK - it's totally free. The US should adopt the system it works.
John..... just shut up. you are fighting a losing battle. it is OBVIOUS that the US health care system is failing. i have a disability and i find it hard to get proper care. co-pays alone are killing me so don't try to defend this shi**y health care system we have. i could go to canada, france and even the UK and get WAAAAAAY better health care. if you were a tourist in the states and had an injury and didn't buy that temporary visitors insurance you would be FUC*ED!!! end of story.
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