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Discussion - Health > Life expectancy > Healthy years
These are comments that our moderators found as non-authoritative though possibly interesting for
further discussion on Health > Life expectancy > Healthy years
fjdklas;09009
4th February 2011 |
why isn't there more countries on the list? I was expecting a lot more.... |
Phil
25th September 2010 |
Did Greece doctor (pun intended, sorry) their numbers here like they do their economic figures?
Any official figures coming from Greek authorities are questionable at best. I suspect the government simply changes any numbers that look bad. The so-called Mediterranean diet was undoubtedly excellent and used to be eaten here but that was before pork overwhelmingly became the national staple. High meat and saturated fat consumption combined with amongst the highest smoking rates in the entire world (and increasing), plus the almost total absence of public health promotion, primary care practitioners and community allied health services, make me seriously doubt claims about the relative healthiness of Greeks. Outreach services for the aged exist only in theory as the government cannot afford to pay for these. Aged care homes are few and mental health facilities Victorian and inhumane, frequently criticized by human rights organizations. Mental health patients and intellectually disabled children have been filmed in squalid conditions chained to beds and are routinely tied up at night in some institutions. Also, the health system in Greece has been on the verge of complete financial collapse for years, with suppliers to hospitals owed many millions of Euro by the government. This is a third world country. If there is an upside to the Greek health system it is that charges to individual Greek citizens for government health services are low or zero and drugs are heavily subsidized provided you have a "health book". However obtaining a health book is not easy for Greece's sizable population of 1 million foreign migrants. In conclusion I suspect that rigorous independent studies conducted without the intervention of Greek government authorities would place Greece much lower on this life expectancy list. |
Pete
11th February 2010 |
So many factors are involved in international differences in life expectancy, including differences in demographic composition, genetics, diet, and lifestyles, that it's absurd to attribute international differences to the quality and availability of health care.
These international comparisons of average life expectancy do not examine any individuals. They are simply overall statistics and do not address the causes of any differences. Attributing life expectancy differences to health care system differences is nothing but speculation. |
Bob Connors
8th November 2009 |
What factors contribute to life expectancy? Do these statistics reflect the quality and availability of health care? Thank you very much for any assistance you may render. |
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