Dt. Jamison et al., INVESTING IN HEALTH WISELY - THE ROLE OF NEEDS BASED TECHNOLOGY-ASSESSMENT, International journal of technology assessment in health care, 11(4), 1995, pp. 673-684
Countries worldwide spend huge sums on health-about $1,700 billion a y
ear, or roughly 8% of global income. But the World Development Report
1993: Investing in Health shows that these monies could be spent much
more wisely, in the process doing a great deal to help the world's 1 b
illion poor. Essential national public health and clinical packages ar
e proposed based on assessment of the burden of disease (measured in d
isability adjusted life years) and the cost-effectiveness of intervent
ions. Governments can play a central role in improving the health of t
heir citizens: they can foster an environment that enables households
to improve health and they can also improve their own spending on heal
th, targeting it to support universal access to essential national pub
lic health and clinical packages based on the above methods. This is a
good example of the concept of needs-based technology assessment, com
bining the disciplines of epidemiology, economics, and policy formulat
ion. When applied, it should lead to improved effectiveness, efficienc
y, and equity.