Non-market economies in health. Introduction

This paper introduces analyses of the state of health and of the health-care system in four Eastern European countries. The analyses focus on the issue of inequality in countries which share many characteristics including non-market economies, rapid urbanization and industrialization, and health systems which formally aim to provide equal access and treatment to all citizens. The measurement of social inequality in a non-market economy dominated by the state economy cannot be based on traditional class divisions; nor is income a good indicator of class position, salaries for professional and non-manual workers being lower than the average. Major relevant variables for which data are available are occupation, educational level and area of residence. Despite many system similarities the countries differ sharply in the level of resources devoted to health care and in health status based on mortality rates.