COMPARATIVE MEDICAL SYSTEMS

National health systems throughout the world face a number of pressure s in common related to demography, epidemiology, developments in scien ce and technology, medical demand, and rising public expectations. The se pressures are producing convergence in the objectives and activitie s of these systems in several key areas, including cost-containment, h ealth promotion, expansion of access, primary health care, patient cho ice, and the linkage between health and social services. At the same t ime, it is also necessary to recognize the role of political and gover nmental processes, as well as clinical and professional variables, in shaping different societal responses to health care challenges.