WHO's ranking of health care systems

WHO's Ranking of Health Care Systems is a global assessment conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) to evaluate the performance of national health care systems. The ranking is based on a variety of factors, including health level, responsiveness, and fairness in financial contribution.

Overview

The World Health Organization's ranking of health care systems was first published in the year 2000 in the World Health Report. The report compared the health care systems of 191 member states and ranked them based on their performance. The aim of the ranking was to provide a comprehensive assessment of the health care systems around the world and to encourage countries to improve their health care services.

Methodology

The WHO's ranking of health care systems is based on a composite index that includes five indicators: health level, health distribution, responsiveness level, responsiveness distribution, and financial fairness. The health level and health distribution indicators measure the overall health of the population and the equality in health status respectively. The responsiveness level and responsiveness distribution indicators assess the quality of the health care services and the equality in service provision respectively. The financial fairness indicator evaluates the fairness in financial contribution towards the health care system.

Criticisms and Controversies

The WHO's ranking of health care systems has been subject to criticism. Some critics argue that the ranking is based on flawed methodology and that it does not accurately reflect the performance of the health care systems. Others contend that the ranking is biased towards countries with universal health care systems.

Despite the criticisms, the WHO's ranking of health care systems continues to be a valuable tool for comparing the performance of health care systems globally. It provides a benchmark for countries to assess their own health care systems and to identify areas for improvement.

See Also

• World Health Organization
• Health care system
• Universal health care