| Inequality
of health care is still paramount,
says the WHO's latest report. Industrialised countries account for
less than 20 percent of the world's population but take 90 percent
of health spending. In Japan more
than five hundred dollars is spent on drugs per person per year.
This compares to just three dollars
in Sierra Leone. Only slightly more is spent in many sub-Saharan
countries.
Over the last fifty years, life expectancy
has increased globally from forty six years to sixty five. But
today, instead of the gap being
between the developed and developing countries, it's now biggest
between the very poorest nations and all other countries. The
burden of infectious diseases, including HIV, as well as chronic
conditions, coupled with
a lack of health care, has led to this situation.
However, it's children who are most affected.
Almost fifty seven million people died in 2002, nearly twenty
per cent children of less than 5 years of age, and ninety eight
per cent of these deaths occurred in developing countries.
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inequality: here, a difference in
the provision of health care between different groups
health care: the system including
doctors, nurses and hospitals that keeps people in a country healthy
paramount: more important than
anything else
health spending: the money spent
on health care
compares to: when you compare two
things you consider their similarities or, here, the differences
between them
life expectancy: the length of
time a person normally lives
the gap: the difference
chronic conditions: medical problems which continue for
a long time
coupled with: together with,
as well as
most affected: the greatest impact
is on children
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