International Journal of Health Sciences

International Triage: Toward Global Holistic Health
Jonathan Blake, Mark Green, Doug Dix

Abstract
We combined the four fundamental parameters of national health, life expectancy at birth (LE), under-five mortality rate (U5MR), maternal mortality ratio (MMR), and adult mortality rate (AMR) into one objective, unit-less, index we call national health, LE/(U5MR) (MMR) (AMR). This index, which varies from 2497 for Iceland to 0.009 for Sierra Leone, has no absolute significance, but is, rather, a measure of relative rank. We list the nations by national health and suggest that nations with health greater than 58 be considered healthy, while those with health less than 58 be considered sick. We estimated health equity as the ratio of national health to inequality in life expectancy at birth (IneqLE), and health efficiency as the ratio of national health to annual per capita health expenditure (Health$/c) in purchasing power parity. National health correlates almost perfectly with equity, and moderately with efficiency suggesting causal relationships. We suggest that equity is the condition for national health as efficiency is for global holistic health.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/ijhs.v8n2a3