Healthcare financing in Yemen

Yemen is a low‐middle‐income country where more than half of the population live in rural areas and lack access to the most basic health care. At US$40 per capita, Yemen's annual total health expenditure (THE) is among the lowest worldwide. This study analyses the preconditions and options for implementing basic social health protection in Yemen. It reveals a four‐tiered healthcare system characterised by high geographic and financial access barriers mainly for the poor. Out‐of‐pocket payments constitute 55% of THE, and cost‐sharing exemption schemes are not well organised. Resource‐allocation practices are inequitable because about 30% of THE gets spent on treatment abroad for a small number of patients, mainly from better‐off families. Against the background of a lack of social health protection, a series of small‐scale and often informal solidarity schemes have developed, and a number of public and private companies have set up health benefit schemes for their employees. Employment‐based schemes usually provide reasonable health care at an average annual cost of YR44 000 (US$200) per employee. In contrast, civil servants contribute to a mandatory health‐insurance scheme without receiving any additional health benefits in return. A number of options for initiating a pathway towards a universal health‐insurance system are discussed. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Healthcare financing in Malaysia

This paper presents an overview of the Malaysian healthcare system and its method of financing. The development of the healthcare delivery system in Malaysia is commendable. However, the strength and weaknesses of the public healthcare system and the financing problems encountered are also discussed. Cost of healthcare and funding of both the public and private sectors were also revealed. One must optimise the advantages of operating a health financing scheme which is affordable and controllable which contribute towards cost-containment and quality assurance. Thus, there is a need for the establishment of a National Healthcare Financing, a mechanism to sustain the healthcare delivery network and operate it as a viable option. A model of the National Health Financing Scheme (NHFS) was proposed.     

我国疾病预防控制机构筹资现状研究

[目的]对全国各级疾病预防控制(简称"疾控")机构的筹资和财政投入情况进行分析,剖析问题,提出政策建议.[方法]采用问卷调查法收集全国各级疾控机构收支及结构等指标,并进行分析.[结果]2014—2018年,全国卫生总费用中用于公共卫生机构的占比从7.0％下降至5.6％;疾控机构日常运行所需的公用支出,其财政补偿水平不足...     

Healthcare professionals under pressure in involuntary admission processes

The main objective of this paper is to describe how quality of care may be improved during an involuntary admission process of patients suffering from Korsakoff's syndrome. It presents an empirically grounded analysis with different perspectives on ‘doing good’ during this process. Family carers', healthcare professionals' and legal professionals' ways of understanding and ordering this problematic situation appear very different. This could prevent patients from getting the proper care they need, with risk of more suffering and quality of life below the minimum acceptable. All this possibly lead to immoral dehumanizing situations. Firstly, the background of our empirical study is sketched. Secondly, the different perspectives on ‘doing good’ are summarized and compared. Thirdly, the tensions arising from the different conceptualizations of autonomy and different types of responsibilities of the actors are clarified. A common ‘doing good’ during involuntary admission necessitates removal of any tensions within the relational network by weighing and balancing the different perspectives on autonomy and the resulting responsibilities. With this in mind, we propose a renewed time/action table for involuntary admission, which tends to address all patients' needs at the right time. The solution presented might help healthcare professionals, who are squeezed in between patients, family carers, legal professionals and overall rules, to create practices in which patients suffering from Korsakoff's syndrome can maintain their dignity and receive the care they need. Earlier interventions, timely and adequate diagnosis, and diminishment of tensions between the different actors by fine‐tuning their paradigmatic frameworks are suggested to be part of a solution.     

Healthcare professionals and the ethics of healthcare marketing

The article explores marketing ethics considerations in the application of marketing to healthcare. While we realize that acceptance of healthcare marketing by all stakeholders is important for successful marketing, we emphasize its level of acceptance by healthcare professionals. The high levels of resistance to advertising and other forms of healthcare marketing by healthcare professionals has been largely based on the grounds that the practices are unethical. The nature of the resistance thus invites this exploration of healthcare marketing (and the marketing concept), marketing ethics, and the acceptance (rejection) by healthcare professionals of healthcare marketing.     

某市46所医疗机构医院感染管理专职人员现状

目的 调查某市二级及以上医疗机构医院感染管理部门的设置及其感控专职人员的配备现状。方法 采用问卷调查的方式,于2021年3月对全市46所二级及以上医疗机构的基本情况及其感控专职人员的基本情况进行调查。结果 46所医疗机构均设立医院感染管理部门,73.91%医疗机构感控专职人员的配备符合要求,配备不达标的医疗机构主要是编制床位数高于600张的医疗机构,三级医疗机构的达标率(40.00%)低于二级医疗机构的达标率(78.05%)。87名感控专职人员的年龄主要集中在40～50岁,从事医院感染管理的工作年限主要集中在1～5年,主要为本科学历,中级职称,护理专业,二级和三级医院感控专职人员在专业方面的差异具有统计学意义。结论 整体上该市医院感染管理部门的设置及其感控专职人员的配备量较合理,但高学历感控专职人员匮乏,专业结构单一,人员流动性较大,有待进一步优化。     

基层医疗机构卫生人员突发公共卫生事件应急知识和能力调查

[目的]了解基层医疗机构卫生人员突发公共卫生事件应急知识和能力。[方法]对2017年参加文登区卫生应急技能竞赛人员进行问卷调查,对相关数据进行分析。[结果]基层医疗机构卫生人员学历和职称普遍偏低,大学本科学历和中级职称均低于50%。传染病防控人员、突发中毒事件处置人员和紧急医学救援人员在各自专业方面,存在应急知识了解不够、处置水平低的问题,三类人员各自理论知识得分及格率分别为87.2%、61.5%、79.5%,及格率差异有统计学意义(P<0.01);技能操作方面得分及格率分别为82.1%、53.8%、79.5%,及格率差异有统计学意义(P<0.01)。应对突发中毒事件的知识和能力明显不足。[结论]应建立基层医疗机构应急保障机制,加强队伍建设和应急物资装备,加强对各类突发事件的培训与演练,特别是要提高突发中毒类事件的知识水平和能力,确保应急工作顺利开展。     

日本私立医疗服务机构及相应政府职能简介

通过对日本私立医疗服务机构的发展历程、现有数量与规模、服务功能、经营状况等进行介绍,揭示了私立医疗机构在日本医疗服务体系中的地位及其对整个国家卫生系统绩效的贡献.同时,介绍了日本政府对私立医疗服务机构进行培育和监管的相关职能,并重点介绍了政府如何通过制定规则和举办公立医疗服务机构来参与竞争,确保私立医疗服务机构的健康成长.由此探讨我国的医疗卫生改革如何借鉴日本的经验,充分运用市场机制和政府职能的调节手段,提高我国医疗资源的运营绩效.     

Organic solvent use in research institutions in Japan

In 2008-2009, types of organic solvents used and air-borne vapor concentrations were surveyed in 1909 laboratories in four large research institutions in accordance with current regulations. The results were classified into 5 groups in terms of research fields (agriculture, biology, medicine, natural science, and technology and engineering) and evaluated after the regulatory rules. Laboratory air analyses by gas chromatography identified 5 and 20 solvents out of 7 Group 1 solvents and 40 Group 2 solvents, respectively; 10 solvents were used in more than 10% of the laboratories in each of the 5 research fields. The use of unmixed single solvent appeared to be unique in research laboratories in contrast to use of solvent mixtures in industrial facilities for production. Laboratories of technology and engineering fields used more various organic solvents more frequently, whereas use of xylenes appeared to be more specific to laboratories of bio-medical fields. Among the commonly used solvents, chloroform was the leading solvent to induce poorer results in regulatory classification (i.e., Class 3 in Administrative Control Classes) typically when applied in high pressure liquid chromatography which was too voluminous to be accommodated in a local exhaustion chamber.     

The organization and financing of end-stage renal disease treatment in Japan

End-stage renal disease (ESRD) affects 230,000 Japanese, with about 36,000 cases diagnosed each year. Recent increases in ESRD incidence are attributed mainly to increases in diabetes and a rapidly aging population. Renal transplantation is rare in Japan. In private dialysis clinics, the majority of treatment costs are paid as fixed fees per session and the rest are fee for service. Payments for hospital-based dialysis are either fee-for-service or diagnosis-related. Dialysis is widely available, but reimbursement rates have recently been reduced. Clinical outcomes of dialysis are better in Japan than in other countries, but this may change given recent ESRD cost containment policies.