WHAT WOULD A SOCIALIST HEALTH-SERVICE LOOK LIKE

A socialist health service cannot be a socialist island in a sea of ca pitalism, as the record of the British National Health Service shows. Nonetheless, since health is a basic need, it can be a key component o f the advocacy of socialism. I propose two central socialist principle s. On the basis of these I suggest that a socialist health system woul d emphasise care rather than service; insist on democratic structures and control of resources; and require the prohibition of private medic ine. (C) 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.