RFI: Equity Indicators (2)
--------------------------
Dear Colleagues,
Julia Valderrama has asked for information and guidance and orienta-
tion on what might be equity indicators in a health facility.
I am responding because I have absolutely no idea what the answer to
this question should be...... yet I specialize in numerical measure-
ment of (to me) important measures of development performance......
and I do not know at all where this information fits in.
Equity has a very precise meaning in accounting..... and a rather
different meaning in general use. In the first case the meaning re-
lates to the "value" of the ownership interest in an entity. In the
second case it has the meaning of "fairness". I use the word equity
in both ways. And I am especially concerned at the lack of "equity"
in the way the modern global economic system works. I am concerned
that the global allocation of resources and the rules and regulations
that govern global trade seem to have so little regard to "equity" or
fairness.
Within the global health sector there are issues of "ownership" and
there are issues of fairness. A few comparison tables would quickly
make this clear.
Tables showing salaries of medical staff in different countries
around the world... the doctors and surgeons and hospital administra-
tors.... the nurses and paramedics..... and so on.
Tables showing the cost of hospital operations expressed as a per bed
per day (24 hours) cost between different parts of the world would be
interesting.
Tables showing drug availability per capita in the country.... and
drug availability per patient in a medical facility would be inter-
esting
Tables showing cost of patient care versus wealth of patient would be
interesting
By the time even just one or two of these tables are prepared it be-
comes very obvious that the health sector suffers from a terrible
lack of equity..... certainly on a global basis..... and I think you
will find also within an individual country and between individual
patients.
I am sure that patients with HIV-AIDS are often treated very
badly.... though from time to time there will be heroic efforts on
their behalf..... not a very equitable situation.
Enough..... I look forward to feedback
T. Peter Burgess
VP and CFO ATCnet
New York, USA
Tel +1-212-772-6918
Fax +1-707-371-7805
mailto:profitinafrica@aol.com
mailto:hivaidsstories@aol.com
http://www.atcnet.org
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