WHO to tighten healthcare ranking criteria:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
Following criticism of the way in which it compiled its first international healthcare system ranking, the World Health Organisation has postponed its second ranking until 2003. The original ranking, published in the World Health Report 2000, has been criticised for using incomplete data, basing decisions on extrapolation of data from third countries and for using subjective judgements, says the BMJ. The criteria used in 2000 were: healthy life expectancy; responsiveness of the health system to patient expectations; and "fairness" of the system's financing. The ranking put the US surprisingly in 37th place and the UK in 18th, with France topping the list.