The difference between maternal mortality in the industrialized and developing world is greater than any other development indicator. The apparent lack of progress in this area has generated a sense of hopelessness. Malaysia and Sri Lanka are two of the very few developing countries that have succeeded in reducing maternal mortality to levels comparable to many industrialized countries. This study provides the first comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the factors that contributed to maternal mortality decline in Malaysia and Sri Lanka over the last 50-60 years. It considers policy issues,...

Compared to most countries in Africa and to nearby islands in the Caribbean, most Latin American countries have not faced a full-scale AIDS epidemic yet. A number of recent trends suggest, however, that if Latin America does not take appropriate prevention measures soon, incidence levels could reach epidemic proportions. Sound and timely policies can limit the current and future impact of HIV/AIDS on Latin American health care systems, economies, and societies. Many countries in Latin America have shown their willingness to address the scope and special nature of the HIV/AIDS problem; since...

The stimulus of this study was the question as to whether current program strategies can reduce maternal mortality quicker than in the historically successful countries for Malaysia and Sari Lanka. Through cases studies, research and analysis of extent data of safe motherhood programs in seven countries, the answer is yes: lessons learned concern six factors associated with recent success in reducing maternal mortality. This book provides a thorough analysis of factors reducing maternal mortality through three retrospective case studies in China, Honduras and Zimbabwe; and four research...

Economists and public health specialists do not always understand one another, to the detriment of how health systems function. This collection of papers, spanning over 20 years of thinking and writing, aims to bring these disciplines closer together, through exploration of basic concepts, development of ways to think about such ideas as equity, efficiency, cost-effectiveness and the best way to finance health care, and empirical analyses of several interventions against specific diseases or health risks. 'Health Economics in Development' explains basic concepts, for the benefit of...