Review by Choice Review
No one is better qualified than Milton Roemer to compare the world's national health systems. As a longtime representative of the World Health Organization and other international agencies, he has visited most of the 68 countries whose health systems he examines in this authoritative book. In an introductory section, he explains the gains and benefits to be derived from a comparison of such systems, many of which reflect a particular culture or economy. Roemer groups the countries into three major categories: industrialized, transitional, and very poor. His nation-by-nation reporting is both knowledgeable and extensive, ranging from relatively short but always informative entries on the Eastern European countries to 16 pages on Brazil, 17 on Thailand, and 23 on the US. Fully covered are such diverse and distinctive phenomena as the barefoot doctors of China, the pluralism of health administration in Israel, and the remarkably successful government-run system of Costa Rica. The variety of responses to health needs is considerable, with a clear implication that the nations can indeed learn much from one another's experiences. This indispensable book is almost awesome in its comprehensiveness of coverage, depth of research, and clarity of presentation. All academic levels. -N. Kupferberg, Brooklyn College, CUNY
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
