Health System Profiles

Can we learn from how health care is provided outside the UK?

This series of online briefings look at the structure and performance of other health systems and ask whether or not they offer better alternatives to the current NHS, or possible solutions to some of its biggest problems.

Canada - 2005 [pdf]

Denmark - 2002 [pdf]

France - 2005 [html]

Germany - 2005 [html]

Hungary - 2002 [pdf]

Netherlands - 2007 [pdf]

Switzerland - 2007 [pdf]

United States - 2002 [pdf]

Related articles/publications by Civitas:

• Why the NHS is the sick man of Europe
  - James Gubb, February 2008


• Just how well are we? Trends in avoidable mortality from cancer and circulatory disease
  - James Gubb, November 2007


• Healthcare in the balance
  - Tony Hockley, 2006


• Europe has the answer to the NHS' woes
  - David Green, Daily Telegraph, 2006


• International medical outcomes - how does the UK compare?
  - David Green & Benedict Irvine, 2003


• Social insurance - the right way forward for health care in the United Kingdom?
  - David Green & Benedict Irvine vs. Martin McKee, Anna Dixon & Elias Mossialos, BMJ 2002;325:488-490

Other useful sites for international comparisons:

• World Health Organisation


• OECD - Health


• European Observatory on Health


• The Commonwealth Fund


• Health Consumer Powerhouse


• Measuring the health of nations: analysis of mortality amenable to health care
  - Ellen Nolte & Martin McKee, BMJ 2003;327:1129


• Recent cancer survival in Europe: a 2000–02 period analysis of EUROCARE-4 data
  - Dr Arduino Verdecchia et al., Lancet Oncology 2007; 8:773-783